CoG: Naruto's Other Tenant
by NorthSouthGorem
Summary: When Naruto meets a man inside the seal, he knows his life is about to change. Little does he realize that that this story began a long time ago, and many worlds away. Friendly fem-Kyuubi. many OCs. Large harem, very powerful (eventually) Naruto. A chronicle of the Gormim. "This is not the beginning. Not even close." Will be epic-length.
1. Chapter 1

AN: hello. This is my first ever Fanfic. Important! If you have read the fic Uzumaki Mercer, you may find a few things similar to this fic. THIS IS COMPLETELY COINCIDENTAL! While I may have a few ideas that are similar, I had already thought of them before reading that fic. Do not accuse me of having stolen the idea please!

Also! I have edited this chapter to include some other elements of the story that I will use later.

Disclaimer: sadly, I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
**_Inner being to outer being_

Prologue

The mountains of the Land of Fire trembled in the wake of the Kyuubi no Yoko. It had appeared out of nowhere, reducing the land around it to dust in its sudden fury. The citizens of Konoha could not understand what would cause the great Bijuu to attack them. But attack them it did, and no attack that they could produce could defeat it. In the end, as it neared the village gates, Minato Namikaze, their greatest shinobi and leader, came up with a plan to defeat the giant fox, as it was not possible to kill it.

The plan was simple yet immensely difficult at the same time. Minato would summon the Shinigami himself to seal away the Kyuubi in the Shinigami's stomach. Unfortunately, he would only be able to seal away one half of the fox in this manner. As for the other half...

He surveyed the valley from above, standing atop his trusted summon; the mighty Gamabunta. The Kyuubi was roughly the same size as the mountainous toad, making its large eyes about level with Minato.

"**Foolish** **human!" **roared the Kyuubi. **"Any plan you use will ultimately fail against me!"**

_We'll see, _thought the Yondaime. He looked down at the small bundle in his arms. His own son, born just a few hours ago, as well as the most important part of his master plan. He would seal the other half of the Kyuubi into his own son and make him a Jinchurikki. As he initiated the summoning process, he failed to notice a pair of eyes watching him.

* * *

Alex Mercer stared, fascinated, as the Yondaime began forming his handsigns. He had been to other versions of this world many times before but never had he been able to witness THIS! The moment of truth! The sealing of the Kyuubi! As he crouched in a tree, far away from the actual fight, a sudden thought occurred to him.

_Wait a minute! If this is one of the most important moments in the history of this world, what am I doing in a tree? I need to see this close up._ With that, Alex gave a mighty leap, soaring towards the two creatures. Gliding to a stop, he raced up one of the Kyuubi's legs, eventually finding a seat by one of its rabbit-like ears. As he sat there, shifting with the fox's movements, he chuckled to himself. After all; how many people could say they had ridden on top the head of the strongest of the nine Bijuu? Even better, without said Bijuu noticing and attempting to annihilate him?

Emerging from this train of thought, Alex was just in time to notice a terrifying figure appearing behind Minato. This was the Shinigami, summoned to seal the Kyuubi away within the Yondaime's son. Working slowly and dramatically, he seized the Kyuubi (causing Alex to tumble off) and began slowly sealing the great beast into the infant.

As a being that was millennia old, Alex had been able to amass an unimaginable amount of power. Because of this power, or rather, the confidence that went with it, he tended to do or say things that could get him in a lot of trouble. Especially when irritated by, for instance, having his seat yanked out from under him by the God of Death. Having been ticked off, he took a deep breath before shouting.

"Hey you stupid oaf! Give a guy some warning before you dump him on the ground!"

The Shinigami paused in his sealing, annoyed. He would deal with the loud pest later but for now he had a seal to finish.

Fuming, Alex was suddenly visited by a voice. _In order for events to progress as they must, the Shinigami must become angered with you._

Occasionally, he would be told that there was some action he should perform, and that it would result in something important. He had no idea where the voice came from. Most likely, if he were to ask his friend, Farwalker, he would probably just tell Alex that the world was speaking to him, or some other crap. He didn't know why either, but he knew that he should listen. The voice had never led him wrong...entirely. So, the problem was what would he say or do?

As he continued to stare, he noticed the slow, dramatic way the god was moving as he was sealing. _Hm... _He thought, _judging by all the theatrics, it seems he's rather proud of that seal. Wait; I can use that against him! I am SUCH a genius._

Grinning confidently, he shouted out to the Shinigami; "You call that sealing? I bet I could make something better than that crappy seal in 5 minutes!

This second part was, of course, complete bullshit. However, it succeeded in infuriating the Shinigami. Said deity was wondering what he could do to silence the cretin. How DARE that worm insult his great work of art! _But what should I do?_ He wondered. _I still need to finish this seal, and until then-_

An evil grin suddenly found its way across his face, a difficult thing for one to accomplish when one carries a knife in their mouth. _Wait. If he hates my sealing that much, I'll just make him admire it from the _inside_!_ Little did the Shinigami realize what a stupid move this was on his part, as he was now trying to seal away more power than the seal was originally designed to restrain. Not to mention that this would violate the contract he had made with the Yondaime. Also, as two beings had never been sealed into one person before simultaneously, no one, not even Kami could foresee the repercussions of these actions on the jinchurikki.

However, as previously stated, the Shinigami was not thinking of such minor details. Drawing himself up to his full (and admittedly, impressive) height, he reached out with a long, purple, arm and seized Alex in a tight grip. Normally, Alex would have escaped almost instantly, but in this case he had his instincts telling him (again, to his irritation) that this needed to happen, so, gritting his teeth, he did nothing as the Shinigami began sealing him into the boy along with the Kyuubi.

_This had better be worth it._ He thought, before the darkness claimed him.

AN: And so begins my first fic ever. Also, I decided to do a little revising of my first chapters so they fit with the later ones. Read, enjoy, and review.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry for the wait, it took me a while to get my ass in gear and start writing. Also, to avoid confusion, just pretend the prologue is chapter 1.  
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Prototype.

"Talking"  
_Thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 2

Five years later

Alex opened his eyes to find himself in a long, dark tunnel. As he looked around, dozens of thoughts were drifting through his head. Most of them, however, eventually led to a simple statement from the viral man.

"Well... this is boring." He muttered to himself. Sighing, he decided that he'd better get going. "Problem is; which way do I go?" looking down, he noticed a stream of water flowing past him to the right "Alright," he said decisively, "left it is. Don't need to see where it ends up, so I might as well see where it's coming from." And so he set off.

As he walked, Alex began filling his mind with meaningless imaginings. These weren't meant to do anything, just give him something to distract himself from the monotony of his surroundings. He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the walls of the sewer. The tiles in the walls were warping as he strode past, becoming intricate, yet random, and interlocking engraved lines.

* * *

At the end of the tunnel, the Kyuubi suddenly sat up in its cage. _**What is that?**_ It wondered. _**Something powerful is coming this way. What is it? And why did I never notice it before now? **_Straining its ears, Kyuubi could faintly hear footsteps.**"Who's there?" **Called the fox into the dark tunnel before it. **"Show yourself!"** Still nothing. The Kyuubi tried again. **"Please?"** it asked tentatively.

"Well, since you asked so nicely..." came a sarcastic voice. A strange man dressed in black ambled out of the tunnel. Alex blinked, blinded by the relative brightness of the chamber. "Turn it down will ya!" Instantly the lights dimmed, and Alex smiled in relief. "Thank you!" He called.

The Kyuubi's jaw dropped in astonishment. **"How...how did you do that?"** It asked, stunned. **"And who are you? How did you come to be here?"**

Alex shrugged. "Couldn't tell you the first one," he said. "But I have a few questions for you. Some of which you could probably answer. If you do answer them I'll answer any of your other questions. Understood?"

The Fox nodded. "Right then!" Alex said, rubbing his hands together. "First-and this is rather important... are you a girl?"

Kyuubi stared down at the man in surprise. No one had ever bothered to ask that before. They just saw the destructively rampaging fox and assumed she was male. After a moment of silence: **"Yes."** She muttered, slightly embarrassed. Alex nodded, satisfied. "Thanks. Just wanted to get that out of the way." Seeing the now-confirmed vixen's confusion Alex elaborated. "Better I find out now than cause us both intense embarrassment in the future. Anyway, second question... how long have you been here?"

Kyuubi thought it over for a while. **"I can't really tell"** she said, finally. **"There's no way check the time down here. Plus I've, er, kinda been sleeping a lot. But if I had to guess, I would say it's been 5 years."**

Alex hissed slightly through gritted teeth. "5 years!" he muttered to himself. "Such a long time! But no matter, that's all I wanted to know. I'm sure you have a few questions of your own. Ask away."

The Bijuu tilted her head to the side, trying to decide what to ask first. Finally, she decided and asked: **"Who are you, human?"**

Alex smiled, bowing slightly. "I am Alex Mercer, to that first part. But as to that second part," he continued, his face becoming serious, "I am not a human."

**"Then, what are you?"**

"I am afraid that answer shall have to be postponed- don't worry," he said quickly, seeing the Kyuubi about to argue "I will answer you eventually. It's just that there is someone else who must be present when I tell you, as he will want to know the same thing. It's just more convenient to tell both of you one time. What I _will_ tell you is; I am a being of immense power who has traveled a long way"

**"Very well. Speaking of 'here', where are we? The last thing I remember was seeing a man. He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds, and had red eyes. The next thing I knew, I was trapped in this cage."**

Alex listened to the fox's recounting intently, mulling it over in his head to see if it made sense. If she was telling the truth, it would explain why she had been acting so arrogant during the rampage when she so much more pleasant now. Also, she had seen a man in a black cloak and red eyes...

"Wait a minute!" The Kyuubi, who had lain down, jerked in surprise. "That man... was he wearing an orange mask?"

**"No... I just remember that his eyes were red."** She said simply. **"Besides, you still didn't answer my question: where are we and how did I get here?"**

"Alright, alright. 5 years ago, you attempted to destroy the village of Konohagakure no Sato and killed hundreds of people." Seeing Kyuubi's look of shock, Alex continued bluntly. "Eventually their leader, the Yondaime Hokage, managed to seal you away at the cost of his own life."

Kyuubi frowned. **"But I am the most powerful of the nine Bijuu. But even if he sacrificed himself, it still wouldn't be enough to hold me. There was something else wasn't there?"** Alex nodded. "Two somethings, actually. One thing was that he sealed you away using the power of the Shinigami himself to make a seal. The other thing was..." At this, Alex's expression turned somber. "He had to use his own newborn son as your vessel and make him a jinchurikki."

The Kyuubi's eyes widened at this new information. After a moment, she laughed to herself. How long she had boasted to the others about being impervious to the human's sealing attempts. Yet here she was now, in a prison stronger than any human could make. Suddenly, another question came to mind. **"But how are you here? Also, judging from your earlier comment, you've been sleeping all this time. So how do you know all of this?"**

Alex's mouth twitched in a slight smirk, amused by some unknown joke. "Well for one thing, I was present at the sealing so of course I know of the attack. As for the other stuff..." he shrugged. "I've been through other versions of this same world, so there are going to be consistencies."

Kyuubi was processing this, when something that had been nagging came to the surface. **"What about the boy? The one we're supposedly sealed in? What's happening to him?**

At this, Alex's face twisted into a scowl. "Those stupid villagers are happening, that's what. When they look at him they believe that he is merely you in a human body. They blame him for all the destruction and deaths that occurred during the attack." He began pacing furiously. "So they all beat him, refuse to allow him into their shops. Right now I could count on one hand the number of people who care about him..."

His rant was eventually interrupted by a comment from Kyuubi. A simple statement that, coming from the fox, stopped him in his pacing. **"I wish we could do something to help him."** She opened an eye to see Alex staring at her, stunned. **"What?"**

Alex shook his head. "You have no idea how weird it is to hear you say that."

**"We've just met. It shouldn't **_**that**_** surprising."** She snapped, feeling stung by the comment.

"I've met alternate versions of you. Trust me; what you've said is not something any of them would say. But hey! That's not a bad thing it just makes you- ah never mind! Back to the subject at hand, I do, in fact, have a way to help the boy." Alex strode to the approximate center of the chamber. Turning towards the cage, he raised his arms above his head, an aura of a black, smoke-like energy rolling off him. With a roar, the energy exploded off him in all directions, impacting the walls, the ceiling, and the cage bars.

Kyuubi jumped back in surprise (or as far back she could within the confines of her cage). **"What the hell was that?"**

Alex lowered his arms, panting. "I infused my power with the mindscape, providing him with one of my abilities." He grinned showing a mouthful of shark-like teeth. "Let's see the villagers try and harm him if he can sense them coming!"

Alex's legs suddenly gave way, bringing him to his knees. He gritted his teeth. "Damn! Using my power in here seems to make me tired." He then calmed. "I think that's my cue turn in for the night." With that, he waved his hand at the wall to the side of the chamber, causing a simple bed to appear there. As he crawled into it, Kyuubi gazed at him concernedly. It was odd, she barely knew him yet she was already worried about him.

**"Are you alright?"** she asked as he lay face down.

"Y-yeah..." he mumbled, "I'm just really tired. Don't worry Kyuu-chan, I'll be fine." Her eye twitched at the nickname.

**"Don't call me that!"** she barked, causing Alex to flinch from where he lay on the bed. **"If you have to call me something, call me Kina! It's better than 'Kyuu-chan'"**

"Whatever you say, Kyuu-chan." Muttered Alex, face down on his bed.

**"Oh, forget it!"** She growled disgustedly. _**I'm sure he'll get it eventually.**_

"Hey, Kina-chan..." Sounded Alex's voice.

**"What?"** She asked suspiciously.

"There's something else from when I did the whole power-infusing thing; something that will get you a bit more freedom, though it can't completely get you out of the seal."

**"What is it?"**

"You'll see, Kina-chan..." Said Alex, throwing her one last shark-like smile. "I'm sure you'll find it worth it. G'night Kina-chan."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Okay, I'm back. Time to get started... let's see how long I can stick myself to the keyboard...  
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Prototype

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
**Bijuu**  
_Inner being to outer_  
**Jutsu/technique  
**(narrator POV)

Chapter 3

8 years later

"NARUTO!"

Naruto Uzumaki, who had been deep in his own thoughts, jerked in surprise. "The Nidaime Hokage!" he shouted.

"That wasn't what I was asking!" snapped Iruka Umino.

Naruto scowled. "Damn it! That usually works." He muttered as the rest of the class laughed.

"We were reviewing the uses of the bunshin jutsu, and its variants," Groaned Iruka, rubbing the bridge of his scarred nose. "You should be paying attention, the test is tomorrow."

"Not like it'll help you, though!" sneered Kiba Inuzuka, his dog Akamaru barking in agreement. It was well known among the students that Naruto had failed the Genin test twice due to his horrible chakra control and consequent inability to correctly perform the bunshin jutsu.

"Troublesome..." grumbled Shikamaru Nara, laying his head on his arms. His friend Chouji Akimichi nodded silently, while loudly munching a handful of chips. Shino Aburame turned his head to the back of the classroom, checking to see the reaction. His eyebrows shot up and his head shot round to face the front of the room, sweat-dropping. The source of his discomfort, Hinata Hyuuga, was glaring at Kiba from across the room. Next to Naruto, Sasuke 'the last' Uchiha merely grunted as he stared/brooded out the window. On Sasuke's right, to his displeasure, was his number 1/2 fangirl, Sakura Haruno, smirking up at her number 1/2 rival: Ino Yamanaka. (It's so difficult to figure out which rank is which among fangirls. They all claim to be #1)

"Urusai, teme!" Snarled Naruto. "I WILL make those clones and become a ninja! Then I will become Hokage!" Everyone groaned (except Hinata, who gazed at Naruto admiringly), it seemed they couldn't go one day without Naruto reminding them of his ridiculous dream.

"Enough!" Barked Iruka. "Alright, that's enough about clones. Let's move on to the Henge; Naruto, you first."

Grumbling, Naruto trudged down to the front of the room. He spun round, grinning suddenly, to face the class as he formed the hand seals.

**"Henge!"** He cried, as a cloud of smoke erupted around him. As the smoke cleared, Iruka gaped in astonishment. In Naruto's place stood a curvy blond girl, clad only in a few stray wisps of smoke. Smiling seductively, she rubbed herself against Iruka. "Is this good, Sensei?" She murmured in his ear. Iruka's response was to rocket backward under the power of an enormous nose-bleed. There was another blast of smoke, revealing Naruto again, who was doubled over with laughter. "Take that, ya perv!" He crowed. "I call it the Oiroke no Jutsu!" He quickly ducked under a punch from his angered sensei.

"YOU IDIOT! If you're going to waste time, don't do it by creating useless jutsu!" Shouted Iruka, a tick mark appearing on his temple.

"Oh yeah?" argued Naruto, "If it's so useless, then how did you get that nosebleed? That looks more like an effective distraction technique to me!"

Everyone blinked. Since when did NARUTO put up an adequate argument? For that matter, when did he use words like 'effective'?

Naruto, still chuckling to himself, turned to go back to his seat. His laughter was stopped, however, by the sight of Sakura's furious expression; or, to be accurate, the shining aura of death surrounding her. _Well, there go my seating arrangements._ He thought with slight dismay. There was no way he'd be able to sit next to Sakura-chan now. She'd pummel him for sure! He'd have to find somewhere else to sit, but where? Looking around, he saw that nearly all of the other empty seats were right in the middle of other danger zones (ie. angry fan girls). Eventually, he noticed one area that seemed safe. It was all the way at the back of the room, next to a girl with dark blue hair. What was her name? Oh well, he could just ask her seeing as she didn't seem to want to hurt him, judging by her lack of a death glare. He quickly made his way over there and asked her, "Is it alright if I sit here?"

She nodded, blushing furiously, and he sat down. She fidgeted in her seat nervously as he stared at her, her face heating up under his gaze. Meanwhile, Iruka-sensei was calling other students down to perform the henge.

"Pretty nice of you," Naruto blurted. The silence had been getting to him, and he had decided to try and start a conversation. "Letting me sit here, I mean. Anyone else probably would have tried to beat on me, especially because of that jutsu I just used." Now he was just babbling; and the silence was made even more awkward.

* * *

(Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension)

There was a man sitting at a desk. The desk was located at the back of a darkened library. The man was dressed in all gray; bathrobe and slippers. The desk he was sitting at carried only two things; a crystal ball and an open paperback book. Both of his hands were affixed to the ball, his gray eyes distant. As he sat transfixed, the book beside was open to an unfinished page; as the minutes dragged by, the words on the page were writing themselves. When the words reached the end of the page, it flipped over and began writing on the other side. After an immense amount of time which could have been days, the gray man wrenched his hands from the ball and leaned back in his chair, pulling out a pair of black glasses (not sunglasses, just glasses with black frames). After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes he lowered his head with a sigh. "Smooth, Naruto, real smooth." He grunted.

He turned his head to gaze down the pathway between towering bookshelves wistfully, wishing he could just stroll among them and read their contents. But, he couldn't. Not yet. First he had to record this damned story! Turning resignedly back to his desk, he saw, to his horror, that the book was now full of his own thoughts, rather than the monologue he had been recording. "No! Stop! Stop, you stupid piece of literature!" he cried. But it was no good. The story had been diluted by a few paragraphs of meaningless narration. "Oh, shut up you smug piece of shit." He snarled. His expression changed to horror. "Oh crap, it just wrote that, didn't it?" he chanced a look down at its rapidly filling pages, where a single word had been added; a word that he had not put there.

_Yes._

"Fedule!" The man quickly whipped off his glasses and swept his hands back. _Every time Alex goes out on one of his little outings, it makes my job a living hell!_ He whined inwardly. _Stupid chronicle's getting smart with me._ He brought his hands forward, slapping them on the sides of the crystal ball. As his eyes again grew vacant, several lines of purple symbols crawled their way across his scalp, enhancing his mind to help him discern the multitude of images he was seeing.

* * *

(Meanwhile, back at the plot, more specifically, Ichiraku Ramen)

Naruto slurped at his ramen, mulling over the events of the day. After his feeble attempts at starting a conversation, the dark haired girl had given an even feebler attempt to continue it, stuttering so badly he could barely understand, and blushing so deeply it made a tomato look pale in comparison.

* * *

(Flashback)

Before he had time to ask her name, Iruka-sensei called, "Hinata Hyuuga! Come show your henge, please!"

Hinata squeaked and run to the front of the class, where she performed a rather realistic henge into a copy of Iruka-sensei. After dismissing her technique, she returned awkwardly to her seat. When she sat down, she did so on the very edge of her seat, head down, avoiding his gaze; as if fearing his criticism of her jutsu. "That was very good." Offered Naruto, glancing at her with slight concern.

"Th-thank you, b-but it wasn't all that g-good." She murmured sadly, again turning slightly red.

"Yeah, it was!" Argued Naruto, "At least," He muttered to himself, "It was better than mine."

Hinata looked up, shocked. "Y-yours wasn't b-bad either!" She said timidly, "I-it was..." She blushed even darker "Very r-realistic..." She whispered embarrassedly.

"Oh?" Naruto leaned in, a perverted grin on his face and a strange gleam in his eye. For a moment, Hinata thought she saw someone else in his eyes, but then it was gone. "I didn't know you were into that sort of thing, Hinata-chan." This was not really saying much, seeing as he didn't actually know her that well; but it was enough. The normally pale, blue-haired girl turned a deep crimson and fainted, uttering a small squeak and flopping over on the bench. Naruto blinked. _Huh?_ He thought, leaning over her limp body. _Why did I say that? That's not something I'd normally say. And why did she-_"GACK!"

While he had been leaning over her, Hinata had, in her unconscious state, reached up with her slim, pale arms and hugged him tightly, yanking him to her. Due to the initial positions of their bodies, Naruto ended up getting his face pressed into her chest, which, he quickly learned, was a lot more developed than those of the other girls in the class. Iruka-sensei, who was still calling up students to demonstrate the henge, took no notice. Naruto squirmed vainly against the Hyuuga heiress' iron grip, but, due to slowly being suffocated by the girl's breasts, was unable to make a sound. His thoughts, on the other hand, were clamoring loudly.

"HLMPH!" _Help! I'm being smothered! Hel-wait, why am I shouting in my head? Nobody can hear me. But if I don't do something, I'll die! That might not be so bad... wait, who said that? Oh yeah, me. Who else would it be? But I do have a point; death by suffocation via boobs isn't that bad of a way to go... hey, wait minute! If I die, how will I become Hokage? How will I get the villagers to respect me? HOW WILL I EAT AT ICHIRAKU'S IF I'M DEAD! How will-_

Before he could think his next question, however, the blond's brain informed him that he was low on air, by shutting down, leaving him to descend into the suspiciously squishy darkness. In her sleep, Hinata groaned and rolled over, off the bench and onto the floor, the resultant *thud* muffled by her thick jacket. To their credit, neither of them woke up.

* * *

(End Flashback, resume at present)

Naruto hunched over the remains over his ramen, so the others wouldn't see him blushing.

Iruka glanced over at Naruto, slightly worried after today's incident. After he had finished testing the other students, Iruka had noticed that Naruto and Hinata seemed to have vacated their seats. As the other students had gotten to chatting amongst themselves, he'd made his way to the back of the room. When he'd reached the bench, he discovered, to his annoyance and amusement, that both of his missing students were sleeping on the floor in each other's arms; or rather, Hinata gripping Naruto like a teddy bear while Naruto used Hinata's chest as a pillow. As discreetly as he could, given the circumstances, Iruka had gently prodded the Hyuuga girl awake. After calming down the distraught girl and getting her back into her seat, he'd hefted Naruto onto the bench next to her, the boy still being unconscious. Walking back to his own desk at the front, Iruka had failed to see Hinata tug Naruto's head onto her lap.

At an undisclosed library-like location, a gray-haired, bespectacled man snickered to himself. "But I saw," He cackled madly, "Like I always do!"

"Shut up, old man!" Came a female voice from among the bookshelves. "No one wants to hear your senility."

The man slumped over, crying anime tears. "Fucking bitch," He growled, "No respect for her elders. I think I know how Iruka feels in that classroom."

Anyway... back at Ichiraku's, Iruka suddenly sneezed, whacking his head on the counter."OW!"

"You alright, Iruka-sensei?" asked Naruto, momentarily distracted from his embarrassment.

"Yeah...must be getting a cold." grunted Iruka, rubbing his sore forehead. "You should get going if you're done, Naruto," Iruka said suddenly. "The Genin Exam is tomorrow, and you should probably practice your bunshin."

"Eh, right..." Naruto said, slurping up the rest of the broth in his bowl. He hopped off his stool and raced off for the training ground. As he ran there, he failed to notice a pair of pale lavender eyes following him; nor did he notice the owner of them, who darted between nearby trees and poles in order not to be seen by her crush.

* * *

(At nearby training ground, several hours later)

Naruto stood in a large, isolated clearing, panting slightly from chakra exertion. It was no good, he thought. No matter how much he tried to focus, he couldn't use a small enough amount of chakra to produce a bunshin. It would take more time than he had to accomplish the jutsu. While his clones no longer looked trampled, they still looked ready to keel over at any moment. _Guess I'll just have to see how I do tomorrow._ He thought dismally.

As he turned to walk away, he froze. He'd seen something behind one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. He squinted into the dark, trying to find it. For a brief moment, he thought he'd seen a pair of eyes shining in the moonlight. He stared, eyes straining for anything odd. As he did so, without realizing it, he began channeling chakra to said eyes, sharpening his vision. He blinked, for a moment, it had been too dark to see anything, but now he could clearly discern the shapes in front of him. It was that girl from before, Hinata. From the looks of things, she'd been spying on him for a while. Why hadn't she come out and talked to him? He would have appreciated the company and she might have been able to help him (this last part being the practical side of Naruto's brain). Frowning to himself, Naruto thought back to his encounter with her during class. _Hm... Well, she was stuttering a lot, and she seemed kinda down on herself. I guess she's really shy; but still, why didn't she at least say hi? Gaah, screw it, I'm too tired to think right now. I'll ask her tomorrow_

Hinata stood, frozen, behind her tree. When Naruto had stopped, she had quietly panicked and tried to squeeze more of herself behind the tree trunk, hoping she hadn't been seen. She might die of embarrassment if someone discovered that she had taken to spying on Naruto. Also, if someone saw her, they might tell Naruto-kun! Then he might think she was some creepy stalker (even though she was, at least the stalker part), and he wouldn't want to be her friend! But, then again, maybe he hadn't seen her... Hinata immerged from this panic attack to notice that Naruto was turning away. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Then Naruto turned back in her direction, and she choked on her sigh.

"I saw you. We'll talk tomorrow." Was all he said. With that, he turned again and walked out of the clearing, leaving Hinata to have another panic attack.

* * *

Naruto strolled the streets, hoping to get home so he could get some sleep. As he turned the corner, though, a strange blankness began to fill his head. He quickly ran to the nearest wall so he could sit down, before the vision robbed him of his motor skills. A map appeared in his head, a highly detailed map showing the streets nearby, plus a few other details; such as the fact that at three different locations, all of which intercepting the path he meant to take, was a small mob, each poised to jump him once he crossed their line of sight. As the vision faded, Naruto groaned, now in a thoroughly bad mood. _Fuckin' a... not only am I exhausted, now I have deal with _these_ assholes? Rrrrgh... FINE! I'll just henge and walk past them, but-_ Naruto finished in a low growl, "If I end up having to deal with any bullshit, heads will roll. And not mine, either." Bringing his hands up to form the hand seals, he barked, **"Henge!"**

After the usual blast of smoke, Naruto was replaced by a tall, purple haired woman wearing a fishnet shirt and a trench coat that did not do a good job in hiding her large assets. Naruto had seen this woman walking about the village, so there wasn't any fear of the villager's becoming suspicious of a person they had never seen before. Also, he had noticed that where ever that particular woman went, people tended to steer out of her way, as if fearing for their health. This would mean that, when the villagers tried to stop him/her, they would not look too closely out of fear of being castrated.

Soon, the henged boy reached the spot where the first mob was situated. "AHA! Gotcha now demon brat!" Cried a man at the head of the swarm as they charged, only to trip over a stray rock, and face-plant rather spectacularly into her generous cleavage. Spluttering, the man righted himself and got a look at the woman's face, which looked murderous. "M-Mitarashi-san!" He gulped, seeing his life flashing before his eyes. He quickly scowled and said sharply, "You haven't seen the Kyuubi brat around, have you? He was supposed to have come this way, and we were going to teach him a lesson."

The irritated woman raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Uzumaki kid? No, I haven't seen him. Though, if I did, I'm not sure I would tell you."

Although it was Naruto speaking, it was the woman's, 'Mitarashi-san's', voice that left his mouth. He wasn't sure what was causing this but at the moment he did not care. He continued on his way, leaving several relieved/terrified civilians. The youth did not have any more encounters with the other idiots. Maybe the first group had told the others that the 'Kyuubi brat' (whatever _that_ meant) wouldn't be showing up or something. This was good, because his nerves were already shredded to the breaking point. The next fool to cross his path would have been left with a hole where their heart should be. However, this did not happen, and he reached his apartment with his last nerve frayed but intact. Too tired to do anything else, he fell onto his bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

_Such a strange dream...he was drifting in a empty, dimly lit room, the back wall of which was dominated by an enormous, but equally empty, cage. In the middle of the room, there was a wooden chair. There was nothing special about it, it was just a chair; but perched on the back was a large crow (or was it a raven?). Nearby, sitting on the floor, was an orange fox with nine tails. Something about it seemed familiar to Naruto, but he couldn't remember why. Suddenly, the crow/raven looked up and saw him, whereupon it threw its wings up in shock._

_"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" It asked, in a surprisingly human sounding voice, "You're not supposed to show up here for another day or so! You're too early!" it flicked the tips of its wings at him, "Shoo! Shoo! Go back to sleep."_

_The fox reached up one of its tails and knocked the unfortunate avian off its perch. __**"Don't be rude,"**__ It snapped, in a distinctly female voice, __**"It's as much his place as it is ours! What are you doing trying to kick him out?"**_

_The bird sighed. "My problem isn't his being here, ¿≠‡§-chan." It said, "My problem is that he's here TOO SOON."_

_The fox sniffed. __**"Whatever. Go do your thing."**__ She said in an uncaring tone, lying down on the stone floor._

_As the black bird smoldered in silent fury, Naruto blinked in confusion. When the bird had spoken what was presumably fox's name, he'd been unable to hear it, as if something was scrambling the sounds in order for him to not understand it. What was going on?_

_The bird finally puffed itself up in apparent anger. "ALRIGHT!" He (for it was definitely a male) shouted, "You may ask one question, then you must go."_

_Naruto, suddenly remembering that he could speak, blurted out, "What kind of bird are you?"_

_Said feathered creature tilted its head at him. "A bird, huh? That's what I look like to you?"_

_"Yeah. A big black one."_

_"I'm a crow. Now you must go. Hey, that rhymes!"_

_The room began to dissolve around Naruto at these words. Suddenly, the crow's voice called out, "One last thing! Be nice to her, she means well and wants to help you."_

_As everything faded to black, Naruto had one last thought, though he could not voice it. _What does he mean, who is 'she'?

* * *

(At mysterious library)

The gray man snapped his book shut, before getting out of his chair to go get some sleep himself.

"I see the years have not diminished your ability to be enigmatic, Alex." He mumbled to himself. "And a crow? Well, you always _were_ obsessed with the things. It seems that many things are riding on tomor-WHOA!"

The old man, not having been looking where he was going, had stepped on a candy wrapper that someone must have left on the floor and slipped. He hit said floor with a loud *WHAM* and a small *crunch* as his back gave out.

"Uncle! Are you alright?" A girl with bright blue hair came running from behind a nearby bookshelf, looking worried.

"Does it look like I'm alright, Blair?" He hissed, his shark-like teeth gritted with pain, "I'm fucking PARALYZED! I can't get up!"

"Alright, alright, let me help you up." She said reassuringly. She hoisted the man into a sitting position and set about healing his injured spine.

"Ahhh...a water girl who does healing? Isn't that so cliché, Blair?"

"Yes, but I like being cliché. And it's helping you stand. Here you go." She pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks. When I get my hands on that bitch..."

"You're sure she left that there? It could have been one of the others"

"She was the only one here."

Blair rolled her eyes. It seemed her surrogate uncle would not be shaken in his conviction of her bitchy cousin. Ah, well. Best not to argue.

* * *

AN: Ugh. At long last I'm done. First off, I want to apologize for taking so long. I might have got this done a while ago, but I seem to have a rather short attention span when it comes to writing this thing. I could only really write right before bed, which severely cut into how much time I have.

Also, plot-wise: some of you might wonder where that scene with Hinata hugging Naruto came from. That's ok, so do I.

For the future-sight thing that Naruto had, yeah, that won't be very important for the story. In case some of you were wondering, yes, that was the 'gift' that Alex gave Naruto, but it won't be around very long.

Also, the gray haired man is one of my OCs by the name of Storia Spellwright. He is one of the OCs that will be appearing most frequently.  
The girl, Blair, is also one of my OCs, but she won't appear as often.

So please, give your opinion. Am I doing a good job?

On another note, I would like to recommend a fic which my sister made. It is called 'A little insanity is good for the soul' by Awesomeness Incarnate. If you like a Naruto story with funny OCs, you might like this. Or NaruHina, if you're into that.

So, read and review. Seriously, I need to know what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Alright then! Chapter 4 underway!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype; though I do own Storia Spellwright.

"Talking"  
_Thoughts or written text_  
**Bijuu**  
**Jutsu/Technique**  
_Inner being to outer being

* * *

_

Chapter 4:

Storia Spellwright shuffled along the passages of the library, simultaneously anticipating and dreading the day's work. He felt anticipation because he knew Alex was about to take a direct hand in Naruto's life, making things more interesting for him. He felt dread because, as always, he was going be stuck behind that damn crystal, in danger of going insane from sensory overload from the sheer amount of images. Reaching his desk, he placed his hands on the original crystal ball and extended his mind's eye, searching for the subject of his chronicle, one Naruto Uzumaki. Eventually, Storia found him, lying soundly asleep in his bed. Storia's eye twitched.

_Like hell I'm gonna wait for you to get up!_ He thought angrily. He took a deep breath and shouted, "NARUTO!"

(Naruto-verse)

Naruto Uzumaki sat up in bed with a violent sneeze. He looked around, slightly dazed and confused, before his eye landed on his alarm clock.

"What the hell!" He groaned. "It's too early for me to wake up."

Naruto fell back, hoping to fall asleep. However, unfortunately for him, he ended up bashing his head on the head board. "ARGH! FUCK!" After several more minutes of swearing in pain, Naruto decided it might be a good idea to get ready for the academy early for once. After stumbling around, trying to find his clothes, he remembered the dream he'd had the previous night. Seeing as he didn't really have anything to do, he went over the details of the dream. Normally, he'd just disregard it as just that, a dream, but something about it had seemed too real to be any such thing. Besides which, there had definitely been some things that hadn't made sense to him. He eventually came up with some questions:

1. What the hell was up with the room? Why was the cage empty?  
2. Why had there been a crow and a fox? Why did they talk?  
3. The chair. It had seemed too small, in contrast to the immensity of the room. Why was it there? Why weren't there any other chairs?  
4. What was it that the crow had said? _"You're not supposed to be here yet."_ That implied that he had been expecting Naruto, but not at the time. How could that be, since they'd never met?  
5. Why had he not heard the fox's name?  
6. Why was it that, until the crow had told him to ask a question, he had not said anything?

Soon, however, all these random questions were blocked out by an even more important one. Who the hell was 'she'? Taking a break from his musings, Naruto glanced at his alarm clock. "Oh shit! I'm gonna be late!" Yanking on his sandals, he raced out the door. On the way there, he resumed his contemplations of his question. _"She means well and wants to help you."_ That was what the crow had said. Well, what the hell did that mean? Naruto turned his mind to all of the 'she-s' that he knew.

Was it Sakura? _"She means well and wants to help you."_ Naruto grimaced. With the beatings she was always giving him, it was a safe bet that helping him was pretty far from her mind. Why did he have a crush on her again? Perhaps it might be a good idea to switch his affections. Preferably, to someone who wouldn't try to give him a concussion every time he opened his mouth. Moving on...

Ino? Naruto thought about his past experiences with his fellow blond. While she hadn't been as...physical at showing her displeasure as Sakura, she was certainly as-if not more- bossy, always yelling at everyone within earshot and competing with Sakura for the position of #1 Sasuke-fan girl. If he was going to start being nice to ANYONE, it would NOT be to a fan girl.

What about Ayame? She seemed more likely, she was one of the few people who cared about him. But the crow had told him to 'be nice to her', and he already was. So...if that wasn't it, then who was it?

* * *

By this time, Naruto had reached the academy, having ignored the glares that the villagers had been throwing his way the entire time. Entering the classroom, Naruto was astonished to find that he was early.

_Huh...I must've left earlier than I thought._ He shrugged to himself. _Ah, well. That just means I can have time to myself!_ Grinning, he turned to sit at his usual seat, next to where Sasuke would usually sit, and then stopped. _Wait. Why do I even want to sit next to that broody emo teme? Oh yeah, because it means that Sakura will try to sit next to me. Well, screw that, I'm sitting somewhere else._

Again, he turned, and was surprised to see Hinata sitting huddled in the corner at the back. _Maybe I could ask her about last night._ He thought. Figuring she hadn't seen him, Naruto crept quietly over to her. As he neared her, he saw her shaking slightly, so he leaned to see what was wrong. He was shocked to hear her quietly sobbing.

Hinata was terrified. Ever since Naruto had said he had seen her, she'd been unable to sleep, spiraling into the depths of despair. She was knew that Naruto would be angry with her for spying, and that he'd tell her to stay away from him, and then her hopes of a future with him would be ruined, and she'd be left all alone with a family that thought she was weak, with no way out! At this, Hinata began to cry, the sheer horror of living such a life being too much for her already fragile emotional state.

Hinata stiffened as a finger tapped her on the shoulder. "Hinata? Are you ok?" Asked a concerned voice.

She looked up slowly, and Naruto was shocked to see her tear-stained face. "Hinata! What's wrong, Hinata!" he asked, horrified.

"N-N-Naruto-kun." said Hinata in a hoarse whisper, before her tears started to flow even faster. "I-I'm s-sorry!" She wailed. "I k-know I s-shouldn't have spied on y-you like that, but I w-wanted to see you d-do well. B-but I b-blew it, and now you t-think I'm some sort of s-stalker! As if a f-failure like m-me could have...could have..." Hinata curled tightly into a ball and gave a high-pitched whine of misery.

Naruto stared, at a loss for words. This wasn't the way he'd meant things to turn out at all. When he'd said 'I saw you.', it was just as a comment, a bit of a joke to surprise her. But she seemed to have taken it quite badly, and now he didn't know what to do. Just standing there seemed to just make things worse. Then he remembered; _"Be nice to her, she means well and wants to help you.", "I w-wanted to see you d-do well."_ Was this what the bird had meant? Either way, he needed to do something. It wasn't right that she should cry because of him. Looking at her, Naruto couldn't help but feel an ache in his chest at the sight of her sadness.

Quietly, he sat down next to her and put his hand on her quivering shoulder. "Hinata-chan?" He said gently, "Please stop crying. It's alright, I don't hate you. You don't have to be sad, ok?"

Eventually, Hinata uncurled slightly and looked sideways at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "You...you don't h-hate me?" she asked, a note of hope clearly audible in her voice.

"Of course not!" said Naruto, still trying to cheer her up. "I mean, it is a bit weird that you spied on me-"

Hinata's face fell.

"But it's not a bad thing!" Said Naruto quickly, "I mean, of all the people in this class you could have watched, you chose _me_ to spy on." Naruto looked away, slightly embarrassed. "To me, that's like you're saying you think highly of me."

Hinata looked up, eyes wide. Naruto-kun thought she thought highly of him! Well, she did, but the point was he was thinking on the same wavelength as her. There was hope yet. She smiled at him, blushing again.

Naruto was inwardly relieved. It seemed his words were truer than he thought, if the lack of tears was an indication. He cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling that it was time for a change of subject. No matter how cute she looked like that. "So, how d'you think you'll do in the exam?" He asked a bit lamely.

Hinata frowned slightly, thinking. "I t-think I'll be able to p-pass." She said finally, "W-what about you? It seemed like you w-were having trouble last n-night."

After a moment of trying hard not to laugh at the hidden double meaning in her words, Naruto replied, with a straight face, "Well...after that practice session, my chance are now around 'maybe', rather than 'no way'. As in, maybe I'll pass or maybe I'll fail." He looked down at his hands, "I've got no way of finding out, so all I can do is just go for it." He looked up to see her face surprisingly close to his.

"I know you will, Naruto-kun." Said Hinata fiercely, her stutter absent, "I believe in you! You have to pass!"

In the silence that followed, he just sat in his seat, stunned. No one had ever said such a thing to him, not even Hokage-jiji. A warm feeling spread through him as he gazed at the blushing, dark-haired girl next to him. At that moment he decided, _I'm going to be her friend._ She'd liked him enough to spy on him and had encouraged him, rather than laughing, like all the others. Also, she'd had the same look as him before; the face of someone who was surrounded by hatred. Someone who had no friends to help her. _Well, if she needs a friend, then I'll_ _help her!_ He thought determinedly.

After Hinata had spoken, Naruto-kun had stared at her, looking shocked. For a moment, she was worried she had somehow said the wrong thing. Then she squeaked as Naruto threw his arms around her and gave her a hug. She stiffened, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

"Thank you, Hinata." Although his voice was soft, Hinata still heard it. At his words, a feeling of satisfaction swelled in her, making her light-headed. "You're a good friend." This, however, proved too much for the small Hyuuga.

"N-Naruto...kun." she gasped out, her vision going dark.

Naruto, with his arms still around the girl, sweat dropped as he felt her body go limp. She'd fainted again, it seemed. Gently, not wanting to wake her up, he maneuvered her into an upright position in her seat, not quite wanting to repeat the experience of the previous day. Looking around, he was astonished to see that, over the course of their talk, other students had arrived early in anticipation of the Genin Exam. Fortunately, none of them seemed to have noticed the two of them for some reason. Naruto had no idea why no one had seen or heard them, but he was glad; if he had discovered an eavesdropper, he probably would have clobbered him for ruining the mood.

* * *

(At trans-dimensional library)

Storia looked around quickly, checking that Naruto was not in the immediate vicinity. Then he remembered that Naruto was in a different world altogether and stuck his tongue at his crystal ball.

"Whatcha doin', uncle?" asked a voice at his shoulder.

Storia yelped and whipped around, clutching his heart in shock. Standing there, grinning, was one of his so-called 'nieces', Blair Souse.

"B-Blair!" he gasped, "What the hell, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm your assistant now!" said the blue-haired girl proudly, "Mason sent me to catalogue all your books and stuff. So, what were you doing?" she asked, leaning in so she could whisper in the gray haired man's ear. "C'mon, uncle, you can tell me. You've been coming here a lot lately, haven't you? You been doing more of that Narrator stuff?" She stood back up, waiting for him to answer.

_I'm going to smack that obsessive-compulsive muscle head the next time I see him._ Storia scowled up at the girl's expectant face. From his angle, this was rather difficult, as most of her face was obscured by her bust (also, the fact that his eyesight was rather poor didn't really help matters). "First of all, yes, I have been Narrating." He began, grudgingly, as what he really wanted was to get back to his chronicle, before it got away from him, "Secondly, stop calling me 'uncle'. We're not related, so it's kinda weird."

"But I like calling you uncle." Blair whined, pouting in a way that was meant to be endearing, "Besides, we're all still family here; and in our family, you're the grumpy-yet dashingly handsome-uncle."

Storia raised an eyebrow. "'Dashingly handsome'?" he said sarcastically, "My dear Souse, you've been reading too many bad romance novels. While I am not that old-"

Blair stifled a giggle.

"-shut up-I'm nowhere near 'dashingly handsome'. Ugh, I need to stop saying that. It's leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Now be off with you! I need to get back to work, and you've got cataloging to do."

"Fine." Blair pouted again, then turned away. Before she got too far, though, she turned back, a serious expression on her face. "Hey, uncle? Will you ever send me to the world where uncle Alex is?"

The Narrator tilted his head to the side, thinking. "Perhaps." He said, finally, "Maybe if you to take some of the others, I might. We'll see."

The blue-haired girl smiled, before turning and running off along the bookcases, hoping to find some of the more...explicit ones.

"Don't leave stains!" Storia called, eliciting a distant squawk of indignation from his 'assistant'.

Laughing, he turned back to the book and the ball, "Silly Blair...the Narrator always knows what you're thinking."

His expression then grew tired. "Now, where were we, Naruto?"

* * *

(Finally, back in the Naruto-verse)

Naruto shivered. For a moment, it felt as if he were being watched by some otherworldly force. Then the feeling passed, and he brushed it off as nerves about the Exam. After all the students and senseis had arrived, and Iruka-sensei had given the usual speech about becoming shinobi and the rest of that crap, he'd begun calling them up, one by one, to prove that they were worthy of the hitai-ate. Some of them came back wearing the village symbol proudly, while others came back angry or upset because they had failed.

When Hinata's name was called, she was nervous. What if she failed? She'd have to repeat a year and wouldn't be able to see Naruto, or end up on the same team as him. But, fortunately, her fears were disproven and she passed easily. Tying the hitai-ate around her neck, she strode back to her seat, smiling widely; though her smile was for a different reason than her success. Naruto had said they were friends! It wasn't _quite_ what she wanted, but it was certainly a good start. He greeted her with a smile of his own, then moved over to make room for her on the bench. They spent the next hour or so in silence as Iruka-sensei called up other Genin candidates.

Unbeknownst to the pair, the other students had finally noticed that the two were together and a murmur had risen among them. Some, like Ino Yamanaka, were delightedly wondering when the two had gotten so close. Kiba Inuzuka, on the other hand, was not delighted. On the contrary, he was feeling rather resentful. How dare the dobe sit next to _his_ Hinata-chan like that! As quietly as he could, without alerting any of the teachers, Kiba slid out of his seat and crept over to Naruto and Hinata's row.

Hinata glanced to the side and noticed a brown haired figure sneaking towards them and felt a bit of dread. She did not like Kiba. He was always proclaiming that he was the Alpha, and that she must submit as his mate. Seeing as she was not exactly naive and he was a big pervert, it was rather easy for her to guess what he meant by 'submit'.

Noticing Hinata's discomfort, Naruto glanced in the same direction. "Oi, Kiba what're ya doin' down there?" he asked.

Kiba, who had been crouching so his head was lower than the desk, popped up in front of Naruto, scowling. "You're sitting next to Hinata." He growled.

Naruto merely looked at him from under half-closed eyelids, "Yeah, I am. Is that all?"

"No, it's not!" said Kiba, baring his teeth in anger, "Stay away from her! She's mine!"

"Oh really?" asked the blond, eyes narrowing. "And she agreed to this, I'm guessing." He turned to Hinata, who was quietly seething at the idea of being 'Kiba's'. "Hey, Hinata, Kiba's saying that you belong to him like some sort of property or something. What's your opinion on this?"

Hinata gave Kiba a glare that Hyuugas were known for. "There is no way in HELL I would belong to him!" She snapped, surprising both boys with her aggressiveness. The effect was slightly broken as she blushed again. _If I belonged to anyone, it would be you, Naruto-kun._

Smiling, Naruto turned back to Kiba, "There's your answer. Now go away." He leaned back, satisfied.

"I'm not going anywhere! I am the Alpha here, and you must do as-"

Naruto shot to his feet, having finally lost his patience with the overbearing mutt. Kiba stepped back, suddenly afraid of the surprisingly strong KI radiating from the dobe. Also, if he had been paying attention, he would have noticed the whiskered boy's left eye. In his anger, it had begun darkening to brown, and looked even more fierce.

Before Naruto could tell Kiba what he could do with his attitude, Iruka finally looked up and noticed Kiba was out of his seat. "Kiba!" He barked, "Get back to your seat. Stop provoking Naruto!"

"You heard him, Dog Boy." Said Naruto. Though Iruka's words had taken away most of his anger (enough to return his eye to normal, though he did not know it), he was still pissed at the Inuzuka. "Get going."

Angry, humiliated, but still frightened, Kiba stumped back to his desk. "Some help _you_ were." He snapped at Akamaru, who had not left the bench to help him. The puppy just tilted his head at his human in confusion.

A few more students got tested, with Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara and Sasuke Uchiha passing. Then, finally, it was Naruto's turn.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Called Iruka. Naruto stretched and stood up.

"G-good luck, Naruto-kun." Hinata murmured as he left, earning a nod to show he'd heard.

Naruto reached the front of the room, where Iruka was waiting with Mizuki.

"Alright Naruto, you know the drill, just make two Bunshin and you pass." Although he could not say anything, Iruka hoped very much that Naruto would pass. He knew how much the boy wanted to become a ninja. After all, becoming a shinobi would be his first step toward becoming Hokage, as was his dream. Unfortunately, this was his last chance. If he failed now, he'd be kicked out of the academy altogether.

Naruto crouched slightly, bringing his hands up to perform the three seals for the Bunshin. He concentrated on his chakra, willing it produce the right amount to work with. **"Bunshin no Jutsu!"** There was the usual blast of smoke, obscuring Naruto from view. When it cleared, Naruto slowly glanced to the side, anticipating the sight of yet another dead replica. What he saw instead was a near perfect copy of him. It stood, rather unsteadily, but it was most certainly not dead. "YES! Finally, I did it!" He cheered. Then he saw the saddened look on Iruka's face, "What's wrong, sensei? Didn't I pass?" Iruka simply pointed and Naruto looked to his other side, where he immediately saw the problem. "DAMN IT!" While the other clone looked alright, it only did so from the waist down. Anything above that was absent, leaving a pair of orange clad legs without a head to move them.

Iruka sighed, "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't pass you with something like this."

"Ah, c'mon!" said Mizuki sympathetically, "He made one and a half, that ought to be good enough." But Iruka just shook his head.

Naruto hung his head, disappointed. He'd failed again. "Aww...and I was so close too..." He groaned. Then he brightened slightly, "Well, that just means I'll get it next year!"

"You can't..." Said Iruka quietly, his head down.

Naruto looked up. "Whatcha say?" He asked.

Iruka looked at Naruto, and the boy saw that his teacher looked unusually serious. "You've taken this exam three times Naruto, and all three times you have failed. There are no more chances. I'm sorry."

"So what?" Asked Naruto, not really thinking, "That just means...just means..." He stopped abruptly, the blood draining from his face as his teacher's words sunk in, as well as his own. "I can't become a ninja." He breathed.

If he couldn't become a ninja, his dream of Hokage was useless. They'd never make a civilian Hokage. Not only that but, since the majority of the village despised him, being a ninja would have been the only career open to him. Without that, he'd never get enough money to support himself and his life would be pretty much over. As he realized how much of his life depended on him being a ninja, Naruto could feel his whole world crashing down around him.

He turned and walked back up the aisle. As he passed by, some of the students looked up, astonished by the dead look on his face. Ino, being the only person who had yet to go, felt nervous. What had Iruka-sensei said to make Naruto look like that? Would it affect her?

When Naruto reached his seat at the back, he sat down mechanically next to Hinata, still staring straight ahead.

"N-Naruto-kun? Asked Hinata nervously, "W-what's wrong? D-did you...fail?"

Naruto looked at her, eyes wide. "Yeah..." he whispered, "...I failed." And Hinata was horrified to see tears start streaming down her new friend's face. "I failed...and I can't try again. There's nothing left. No hope." He then buried his face in his hands, now crying in earnest.

Hinata desperately wanted to do something, but what? Remembering what he had done for her earlier, she put her arms around him and hugged him to her as he sobbed. She wanted to tell him that everything was alright; however, she had seen him endure torments from bullies and hateful looks from the adults of the village, all the time never shedding a tear. If whatever had happened was bad enough to make him cry like this, obviously, everything was as far from alright as it could be. So she just gripped him tighter, feeling more useless than her family could ever make her feel.

* * *

(Inside Naruto's mindscape-sewer)

Alex Mercer looked up from where he sat in his chair, peering down the tunnel that led to the seal chamber, from which a deep rumbling was emerging. "Oi, Kina-chan, get over here." He called, not taking his brown eyes off of the dark hall.

A teenaged, red-haired girl with fox ears, a tail, and a kimono came running over, having heard the undertone of worry in her companion's voice. "What is it?" She asked.

"Well, I'm not really sure, but I think Naruto is going through a huge amount of emotional stress." Still not taking his eyes off the source of the rumble, Alex replied in as casual a tone as he could.

The girl glanced at him, deadpanning at his calmness. "How bad, would you say?"

Alex took a moment to answer, "Well, seeing as it has never been like this before, I'd say it's pretty bad."

Kina frowned, "Is there anything we can do?"

"For Naruto, no. You, however, should hold on to me."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

The rumbling had, by this time, grown to a roar. "Well..." Alex finally tilted his head towards his fellow prisoner, a look of slight panic on his face, "I'd say we're both about to become very wet."

The redhead stared at him for a moment, confused. Then, her eyes widening, she clamped onto Alex's arm; and not a moment too soon.

A torrent of water, fueled by Naruto's despair, surged from the darkness of the tunnel, quickly flooding the chamber. Kina was blown off her feet, with only her grip on Alex's sleeve preventing her from flying off into the depths of the cage behind them. Alex, on the other hand, sitting in his wooden chair, refused to budge.

He grinned over his shoulder at the girl clinging to him, having calmed down somewhat, "Can I call'em or what?" He asked, his ability to make sound seemingly unaffected by the horizontal waterfall flowing around him. The fox-girl just gave him a look that was a cross between a glare and pure terror, her ears pressed flat to her head. _Poor thing._ He thought guiltily, "Sorry, but there's nothing I can do here. We'll just have to ride this out."

Kina gave a small whimper, looking as though she might cry.

* * *

(Outer-verse, AKA: Naruto's world, later)

Naruto sat on a swing outside the academy, having no idea what to do with himself. Hinata had already been reluctantly taken home by one of her family members. Whoever it was had glared Naruto accusatorily, as if it was his fault the guy had had to take her home. Who knows, maybe it was.

He watched, but did not really see, other kids being picked up by their parents. However, he did hear some of the comments made about himself.

"That's him..."  
"They say he failed, and that he's been kicked out of the academy."  
"Well, good riddance! As if they would make _him_ a ninja! After all, he is the de-"  
"Shh, remember the law!"

Naruto heard these mutterings and, curious, turned the last one over in his head. _De...de-what? Demon?_

He got no further in these thoughts, however, as someone behind him said "Naruto?"

The blond boy turned and saw Mizuki standing next to him. "Oh. It's you Mizuki-sensei." He said gloomily. Seeing his teacher-_former_ teacher-reminded him of his failure, and again brought to mind the ruins of his life.

"You know, you shouldn't blame Iruka-" Began Mizuki.

"I don't blame him," Naruto interrupted dully, "I'm the one who failed. It's my own fault I can never..." He broke off, not trusting himself to say the cursed words.

"Well," Mizuki said, weighing his words carefully, "What if I told you that there was a secret test? And that, if you passed, you would be made a ninja for sure?"

Naruto was on his feet in an instant. "I'd say you had to be the Log itself come to save me, sensei." He said, eyes shining. In his mind, the crumbled ruins began to rebuild themselves.

The silver-haired man chuckled, "Alright then, here's what you have to do..."

A few minutes later, an orange and blond blur streaked off, already creating a plan. A plan that would enable him to steal The Forbidden Scroll of Seals.

Mizuki watched him go with a smile. Then that smile became a cruel smirk. "Good luck!" He said mockingly.

* * *

(Later, at the Hokage tower)

Naruto stood, knees bent and back to the wall, on a bit of overhanging roof. Directly above his head was the window of the Sandaime's office. It was time to begin his plan. Reaching up, he knocked on the window, then quickly ducked down, his orange clothes blending surprisingly well with the tiles of the roof. A second later, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the elderly Sandaime Hokage, opened his window and looked out. Confused, he scratched his goatee, before turning back into the room, away from the window. Instantly, Naruto sprang through the open window before the Hokage could close it again, rolling into a crouch on the rug.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" asked the old man in surprise.

"Sorry Jiji," Said Naruto, who raised his hands, "But I have to take this chance! **Oiroke no Jutsu!**"

*insert smoke cloud here*(AN: seriously, it gets tiring to write about all the damn clouds of ^%&$ing smoke)

Sarutobi simply stared. Before him stood a curvy, pigtailed young blond woman, completely naked except for some wisps of leftover smoke.

She hugged herself, squeezing her generous breasts together in the process. "Don't you want me to do well, Hokage-sama?" she asked plaintively.

For another moment, the old man just stared, stunned at this display. Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man who was known as The Professor, and God of Shinobi, hit the ceiling, then the ground, knocked out by a massive nosebleed.

Naruto quickly canceled the henge. "Huh." He said to himself, "That worked better than it should have. Oh well, Part 1 accomplished!"

He searched the office, eventually finding the scroll in a compartment, hidden behind the portrait of the Yondaime. Slinging the massive scroll over his shoulder, Naruto leaped out the still open window. Once outside, he dashed off in the direction of the forest. He had a technique to learn.

* * *

(Meanwhile, at Iruka's apartment)

Iruka lay on his bed, wondering what to do. Every time he saw his reflection, he saw Naruto, white and horrified, looking back at him. He tried to remember what the boy was, who had killed his parents. But again, the boy's look of horror came to his mind's eye. _No monster could look like that._ He thought.

He was interrupted by a frantic knocking on his door. "Iruka! Are you in there? Open up!"

It was Mizuki. What did he want? He opened the door to see his fellow teacher looking panicked.

"Iruka...it's Naruto! He's taken The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing!"

"W-what?"

Mizuki nodded, "Yeah, I was going to go alert some of the Jonin. You go one way, and I'll go the other."And he dashed off.

Iruka stood there for a moment, trying to digest Mizuki's words. Then, quickly, he ran off to the forest. He knew where the boy would be; he always went there when he wanted to train alone.

(Another location in the forest)

Naruto stopped at his usual clearing, next to an empty shack. Lowering the scroll, he sat down and unrolled it. _Alright, Mizuki-sensei said that I need to learn one of the techniques in here._ "Right then, what's the first one? Kage Bunshin no Jutsu...well, that figures." He started reading.

_The Kage Bunshin is a technique that, when used can create multiple solid copies of the user. Unlike other Bunshin Jutsu, however, the technique does not require any elemental medium (water, mud, etc.), as the clones are created purely from the user's chakra. Warning: since the technique divides the user's chakra, it is possible to die from overuse of this technique. Also, while the clones have the same strength as their creator, they can still be dispelled with a single hit. Any clones made from this technique will display their own intelligence, as well as retaining any memories that the original had until creating them. Inversely, any memories gained by the clone after creation will be transferred back to the original upon dispersal of the clone. This makes the jutsu useful for reconnaissance purposes._

Naruto blinked. "Huh...on second thought, this looks pretty damn useful. Let's see, one handseal, requires large chakra reserves...hey, I think I can do this!"

He stood up, his hands forming a cross-shaped seal, "Ok, let's give it a go! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

The Genin-hopeful felt a slight pull on his chakra and, with a *poof*, two fully formed clones appeared in front of him, on the other side of the scroll. For a moment, they simple gazed at each other, unable to believe it. Then, all three of them threw their arms in the air and cheered. "Praise the Log almighty, I did it!"

Finally, they stopped their celebrating long enough for one to say, "Now what?"

"Well, I think we should try to learn some other stuff from this thing." Suggested another.

"But, Mizuki-sensei said we should just learn one!"

"Yeah but, when else do you think we'll be able to learn stuff like this, if not now? I mean, we've got the scroll with the strongest techniques in the village right here!"

"True...right, you guys go read the rest of the scroll, then dispel once you've memorized it. Then I'll be able to try the other stuff out later."

The clones nodded and sat down to read, while the real Naruto sat under a tree, thinking that his life as a ninja was pretty much assured now.

Eventually, the clones finished reading and dispelled. Naruto grinned as the acquired knowledge of the clones entered his brain. Two of the techniques he felt he would be able to do without much trouble: the Kage Shuriken and the Bunshin Daibakuha. After all, if he could make Kage Bunshin of himself, doing it to a bunch of shuriken wouldn't be too hard. And as for the Bunshin Daibakuha, it was the clone doing all the work, causing its own chakra to compress until it exploded. Still, it would take some practice to perfect them.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto looked up, startled. Iruka stood by a tree, looking rather pissed. Not that Naruto noticed. He just grinned.

"Yo, Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto, do you have ANY idea how much trouble you're in?" asked Iruka angrily.

Naruto tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean? Didn't I pass?"

Iruka blinked, "Pass? Pass what?"

"You know, that secret test Mizuki-sensei told me about! The one where, if I got that scroll," He nodded at the scroll, "And learned a technique from it, I'd pass and be made a ninja."

"Mizuki?" muttered Iruka, "But...he's the one who told me you stole the scroll..."

"Stole! What are you-"

"Ah, there you are, Naruto-kun." Mizuki had appeared at the edge of the clearing. "Now give me the scroll!"

Instead, Naruto dashed out to the middle and grabbed the scroll, slinging it onto his back, frowning suspiciously at the gray-haired Chunin.

"Hey sensei, Iruka says that I stole this thing. Got any idea what he's talking about?"

"Iruka! Damn!" Mizuki cursed. He hadn't expected Iruka to show up. "I'd meant to just kill you and take the scroll, but now things are getting complicated."

"Mizuki you traitor!" Yelled Iruka.

Mizuki threw a bunch of shuriken, pinning the scarred Chunin to the tree behind him. "Shut up Iruka. I never did like your prattling."

"Hey! What are you doing!" Yelled Naruto, "What's going on? Why are you doing this? Why me?"

Mizuki gave an evil smirk. "You want to know why? Alright brat, I'll tell you."

Iruka's eyes widened, "No Mizuki, don't! It's forbidden!"

Mizuki ignored him, "Tell me Naruto, what do you remember about the Kyuubi attack?"

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean? Didn't the Yondaime kill it?"

"Kill? Ha!" Mizuki laughed, "That was just a lie told by the adults to the younger generation, because of a law put in place in place to protect you! A law to hide the truth!"

"NO! STOP, MIZUKI!" Screamed Iruka desperately.

"What truth...?" whispered Naruto.

"The Yondaime couldn't kill the Kyuubi, so he did the next best thing! He sealed it inside the only child to be born on that day!" Mizuki roared, pulling the massive shuriken he carried off his back.

All the pieces were starting to fall into place in Naruto's head. This was the reason for the glares he'd received all his life, all the hatred. "So...I'm..."

"You, Naruto Uzumaki, are the Kyuubi no Yoko!" yelled the now frenzied Chunin, "Even Iruka hates you! After all, you're the reason his parents died."

Naruto looked over at Iruka, hoping this wasn't true. But the expression on his teacher's whitened face told him that Mizuki was being truthful. Various emotions whirled through his head as he tried to make sense of everything. He'd already come to the conclusion of what the Yondaime had done with the Kyuubi, but to hear it spoken out loud...

He was dimly aware of Mizuki shouting something else, then the sound a large something flying through the air. A shadow fell across him and he was shoved to the ground, then something warm dripped on his face. Then he realized what he was seeing; Iruka was crouching over him, having taken the shuriken meant for Naruto.

"S-sensei...why?" He asked. Didn't Iruka hate him?

"Because...I was like you." Gasped the injured man, "After my parents died...I acted the same way you did...always acting out, trying to be recognized. Naruto...take the scroll and run. Don't let Mizuki get his hands on it."

For a moment, Naruto just stared blankly, uncomprehending. Then, slipping out from Iruka, he ran for the trees, quickly vanishing into the forest.

"Damn!" Mizuki turned to run after him, but Iruka had gotten to his feet, wrenching the fuuma shuriken from his back.

"I won't let you!" he yelled, hurling the weapon at the traitorous Chunin. Mizuki simply jumped out of the way, the metal star flying off into the distance.

"Heh, I'll deal with you later." Mizuki snickered, "For now though, I need to get that scroll and to kill the demon brat." Then he ran.

Iruka tried to run after him, but winced at the stab wound in his back. Still, he hurried after Mizuki as quickly as he could, despite the injury.

(Later)

Naruto leaned on a tree trunk, panting. A sudden rustling made him jerk, getting into an offensive position. He relaxed slightly as Iruka stumbled out of the foliage.

"Naruto." Panted Iruka, slouching slightly to catch his breath. "It's alright, he's gone now-"

Naruto suddenly threw himself at the man, punching him in the stomach. He doubled over, the wind knocked out of him. With a puff of smoke he turned into Mizuki. "What the hell?" He gasped, "How'd you know I wasn't Iruka?"

The blond smirked, "Because _I'm_ Iruka." So saying, he transformed into the scar-nosed man.

"What the fuck, Iruka?" asked Mizuki angrily, "Why are you protecting him! Don't you hate the Kyuubi for taking away your family?"

Unbeknownst to both Chunin, the object of their discussion lay crouched behind a nearby bush, listening to their every word.

"It's true...I do hate the Kyuubi..."

A deeply cold feeling spread through Naruto at this.

"However, I will protect him for two reasons! Firstly, I cannot allow you to get your hands on that scroll!"

Naruto felt depressed and bitter at the insinuation that the scroll was more important than him. But Iruka wasn't finished.

"Secondly, and more importantly, is because he is NOT the Kyuubi! He is my student and a citizen of Konohagakure no Sato; Naruto Uzumaki!"

These last words dispelled the coldness from Naruto's mind. Iruka believed in him!

Snorting, Mizuki lifted his second fuuma shuriken from his back and began spinning it in his hand. "Well, if you feel that way, I'll just have to make sure you're there to greet him once I kill him!"

Suddenly, an orange blur flew from the bushes and nailed Mizuki in the face with a flying kick. Mizuki sailed a few yards before hitting the ground with a thud, slightly dazed.

"I won't let you hurt Iruka-sensei, teme!" Yelled Naruto, getting into a taijutsu stance.

"Just you try it, punk! Whatever you do, I'll return a thousand times!" Shouted Mizuki. Drawing his arm back, he hurled the shuriken at Naruto.

As the large metal star hurtled towards Naruto, however, something strange happened. Like before, when Naruto had nearly snapped at Kiba, his left eye darkened to brown. Then it changed again, becoming a glowing, pale green, with the pupil splitting into a cross shape. To him, the flying weapon had suddenly slowed down in midair. As it flew at him, Naruto leisurely stepped aside, out of the star's path. Then he reached up and seized it by the hole in the center, stopping it in its flight. All the while, his now mismatched eyes never left the man who had thrown it.

"What...how?" Mizuki gasped. Iruka wondered the same thing.

"Is that all?" Asked Naruto. "Cause I think you said something about 'a thousand times'." Something about him was different to Iruka. Though his appearance had not changed, he now stood with an air of calmness that seemed to be the same, yet the opposite of, his earlier determination. Naruto slid his arm through the hole in the shuriken down to his shoulder, in order to free up his hand. Bringing both hands up to form a cross-shaped seal, he asked, "Is this what you meant? **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" The entire clearing erupted in smoke.

Iruka blinked, sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. The entire clearing, as well as some of the forest beyond it, was now immersed in a sea of orange. Then he realized that it was actually an army of clones. _Kage Bunshin._ He thought with shock. _But that's...that's a Jonin level technique! When did he...?_ Iruka remembered what Naruto had said earlier. _He...actually learned a technique from the Forbidden Scroll!_ His awe was then replaced by horror at the thought of multiple Narutos pranking the village. _Log help us all._

Mizuki, meanwhile, was very near pissing himself. How the hell could the dead last of all people suddenly make thousands of clones? And each of them was staring at him pitilessly. Then he noticed another detail, which only increased his fear. "Y-your eyes! You really are a demon, aren't you?" Each clone staring at him had a single green eye, glowing in the dark of the forest.

The real Naruto ignored him, "Ready?" he called, raising the shuriken.

"READY!" Chorused the others, raising their own.

"FIRE!"

The memory of Mizuki's scream of terror would forever be proudly preserved in Naruto's head. Miraculously, none of the weapons they hurled at him actually _killed_ him, just cut him up pretty badly. When the traitor lay in an unconscious, bloody, twitching pile, all the clones dispersed, leaving Naruto to survey his handiwork. His eye had returned to normal, again without him realizing. "Hey sensei," He said, turning to Iruka. "I think I overdid it a little." He chuckled nervously.

"Naruto..." Muttered Iruka ruefully. Then he smiled, "Come over and close your eyes."

Mystified, Naruto did as he was told. After a moment, Iruka said, "Alright, you can open them now."

Opening his eyes, he looked at Iruka. Nothing seemed different about his teacher, except that his forehead was...bare... Naruto put his hand to his own forehead and felt the metal plate of Iruka's headband, tied there securely.

"Congratulations, Naruto," Said Iruka, smiling, "You've graduated."

Naruto's eyes widened. Then, with a shout of joy, he tackle-hugged the Chunin, who grunted in pain from his wounds, though he laughed as well.

"Yes, well done Naruto-kun." Said a voice behind them. Naruto turned, still grinning.

"Jiji!" The Hokage was standing before them, smiling benignly. Around him, not looking as happy, were four masked ANBU. Others were there also, taking away the unconscious Mizuki.

"Come, you two. We must have a discussion at the tower." With that the old man set off, with Naruto and Iruka following.

* * *

(Hokage Tower, later)

An hour's time found all three of them sitting in the Hokage's office. Iruka had told the aged leader everything, from Mizuki telling him Naruto had stolen the Forbidden scroll, to Mizuki revealing the Kyuubi's existence to Naruto and, finally, to the details of the traitor's defeat.

When Iruka had finished, Sarutobi sat back and took a pull on his pipe, his eyes fixed on Naruto. Finally he spoke, "Very well. Iruka, go get your wounds tended to. I need to have a few words with Naruto-kun here."

The Chunin hesitated for a moment, as if considering disobeying his Hokage in order to stay with his student. Then, deciding against it, he turned and walked out, the door shutting behind him.

After a moment of staring at each other, the Hokage leaned back in his chair, looking weary. "So, now you know the truth, Naruto."

Naruto merely blinked, "The truth about what, Jiji?" He asked innocently.

"W-well..." stammered Sarutobi, slightly unsettled, "The truth about the Kyuubi being-"

"Oh right, sealed in me..." Naruto said, a tick mark appearing on his temple, though he didn't change his position in the chair, "Nice of you to tell me before now. I definitely could've done without all the confusion. 'Demon brat, Kyuubi brat', that's all they ever called me! Did you ever think, ever _consider_, Hokage-sama-"

Sarutobi winced at the stiff honorific, sinking deeper into his seat with every word.

"-That I might want to know why I was called all those things! I mean..." Naruto leaned forward, his voice rising in anger, "When you keep a secret about someone, you're SUPPOSED to let them in on that secret, so they can at least know WHY half the fucking village hates their guts and is out to kill them!

Sarutobi flinched. He'd never seen Naruto lose his temper so completely. Then he tried to speak up.

"Naruto, I kept it a secret because I was _protecting_ you! If the younger generation-"

Naruto cut him off with a slashing motion with his hand, "I don't care whether you didn't want kids to know or not. Whatever law you made to stop it didn't work. The parents still all made their kids hate me!" He broke off, staring wistfully at nothing, "Well...except one." He murmured. Then, resuming his tirade, he went on, "Besides which old man, there's still the fact that this whole secret was about me! Even if other kids couldn't know, you could've still told me." By this time, Naruto had calmed down slightly, though he was still angry. Voice shaking, he hurled his last accusation, "Didn't you trust me, Jiji?"

Sarutobi looked down at his desk, ashamed. He could hear hurt contained in the question. He knew Naruto was right.

"I guess I didn't, Naruto. Not entirely," He said quietly, "But I swear, I did mean to tell you, eventually. When I thought you were ready."

Naruto laughed bleakly, "Bit late for that, Jiji. Still, why am I complaining about the past? The secret's out, and I finally know. For now, that's good enough."

The Sandaime blinked hard. One minute, Naruto was shouting his head off about not being told a secret, the next he was saying that it was fine as long as he knew now. While he felt relieved that the worst seemed to be over, he still felt guilty that he hadn't trusted the boy.

"Well, I'm glad we got that out of the way."

"I agree. But, is there anything else you wish to know, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto sat up straight. "Yeah." His eyes narrowed, "Tell me who my parents were. If you want to show me that you trust me, I must know that, at least; and before you start saying I'm not ready, I just learned that I'm the container of the strongest demon in existence. If I can handle _that_ calmly, I can handle knowing my parents' names.

"Very well," Sarutobi breathed in deeply, "Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, a survivor from the former village of Uzushiogakure, as well as one of our most powerful Jonin."

Naruto felt a slight surge of pride, "And my father?"

Deciding not to sugarcoat it, the Sandaime said bluntly, "Your father was the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

Whatever Naruto had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. For a moment, he just sat in his chair, processing this last bit of info in shock. Finally he said, "So...the man who sealed the Kyuubi inside me is also my father, my idol."

Sarutobi braced for another explosion of fury. But Naruto just laughed, "Man, if that isn't irony," Then he frowned, "How come I didn't see it before? I look just like the guy."

"I'm glad you're taking this so well, Naruto-kun. I would have thought you would angry at your father."

Naruto shrugged. It was pointless, in his opinion, to hate the dead. He knew why his father had done what he did. The man couldn't have asked some other family for their child; as Hokage, he had to do it himself... Naruto had a sudden thought.

"Oi, Jiji, why couldn't my dad just seal the Kyuubi inside himself? Why'd he need a baby?" He asked.

"If your father had taken the Kyuubi into himself, its power would have overloaded his chakra coils and burst free again." Explained the Hokage, "Where as a newborn child's coils are still undeveloped, allowing them grow around the Bijuu's power and contain it."

Nodding in understanding, Naruto stood up, stretching. "Well, thanks for the info, old man." He said, "It's given me a lot to think about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go sleep. It's been a long day." He turned to go.

"Wait a moment, Naruto!" Naruto stopped just in front of the door. "Be sure to be at the academy in a week's time for your team assignments."

Naruto nodded to show he'd heard, then he was gone.

* * *

(Naruto's apartment) (AN: if you're getting sick of this chapter, don't worry. The end is in sight.)

Like the previous night, Naruto didn't even bother with putting on his pajamas. He just flopped onto his bed, the exhaustion of the day's events finally catching up to him. He was asleep within minutes.

(Mindscape)

Naruto awoke with shock. To him, he'd just gone from lying on his somewhat-comfortable bed to lying on a cold damp stone floor. Sitting up and looking around, he saw he was in some underground tunnel. The walls were covered in elaborate, but random, carvings, which were glowing with a faint light. Deciding that he should try to get somewhere, Naruto began walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. (Not _that_ light.)

As he walked, Naruto noticed that the walls seemed unusually dark, as if a great amount of water had recently passed through there. Eventually, he reached what lay beyond the tunnel exit. He blinked. He was standing in a massive, relatively bright chamber, the ceiling of which was so high he could not see it. Against the back wall, he saw a cage; unlike the rest of the chamber, the interior of the cage was enshrouded in darkness, obscuring whatever it was that it contained.

"Took you long enough." Said a voice. Naruto tore his gaze from the cage to look for the source of the voice. Not too far from him was a chair, the same chair from his dream, it seemed.

There was someone sitting hunched in it already. As Naruto crept closer, he saw that the stranger was wearing some odd clothes. A black jacket covered in red marks with a hood obscuring most of his face, and pair of these strange blue pants.

Lying curled up next to the chair, in a red kimono that contrasted with the man's weird garments, was a young girl with bright red hair. She seemed to be sleeping rather fitfully, tossing and turning on the floor and groaning quietly.

After a moment, the man in the chair looked up, meeting Naruto's blue eyes with a pair that did not match. One eye was brown and normal looking, nothing strange there. His other eye, however, was a glowing, pale green, with a cross-shaped pupil. Naruto found it's intense stare unsettling. Then the man blinked, and the eyes looking at Naruto were both brown.

"What's the matter, kid? Lose your voice in the tunnel? Say something." Despite his slightly menacing appearance, his voice was surprisingly light and humorous.

Almost immediately, Naruto voiced his question, "Who are you?"

Smiling, the man reached up and dragged his hood down. Seeing his face, Naruto thought it resembled his own, except both the stranger's eyes and hair were brown, with the spikes pointing towards the back.

"Questions already? Okay then, my name is Alex Mercer. Nice to meet you, Naruto."

* * *

AN: 18 pages. 8,770 words. Here's 2 more: HOLY SHIT!

When I started this chapter, I never thought I would finish it so soon. Or that it would be so damn long! Alright, things to address...

Plot-wise:

NaruHina- Some of you might think that I'm getting them together too quickly. I can certainly see where some of you would think that, and I'm sorry if it makes you hate the story. But I needed to write it.

Alex's pants are only weird to Naruto because they're blue jeans, which do not exist in the Naruto-verse.

OCs- the scenes with my OCs are not just random with nothing to do with the plot. They actually do have something to do with the story, and will play a big role later on. Which is why I'm making a poll.

Poll:

In the Chunin Exams, a team of three OCs will be entering; the poll is to determine which ones I will send in. The choices are the elements, or abilities, they specialize in. Please just pick 2 males and 1 female. I know the Exam is a long way away, but I need to do this now, so I know who to write about when the time comes.

So, that's pretty much it. Also be sure to review. Seriously, if you don't review, I can't tell if you like this or not. Well...actually, I sorta do, but still, I want to know what your opinion is! I need to know whether or not I'm doing a good job.

Phew, finally done. See ya! North South out.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Okay. Chapter 5 underway!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own the clan of the Gormim .

"Speech"  
_Thoughts/Written text_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**  
_Inner being to outer_

Chapter 5

Both Naruto and Alex stared at each other, not saying anything.

Finally, Naruto broke the awkward silence, "Alex...Mercer." He said, playing with the foreign-sounding name in his mind, "That's gotta be one of the weirdest names I've ever heard." He said, snickering. To his credit, Alex kept a straight face, though an observer might have seen his eye twitch slightly.

"I'd rather not hear that from a _fishcake_ if it's all the same to you." He said lightly, albeit angrily.

"He...wa...it's MAELSTROM, for the love of Log!" Yelled the insulted blond.

"If your name is Maelstrom, then my name is most certainly not weird. Uncommon for this world, maybe, but in mine it's perfectly normal." Replied Alex with a tone of finality. Seeing that Naruto was still scowling, he sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I've just heard that same thing one too many times." He rubbed the back of his head, the way Naruto himself often did, "Why don't we start over? Nice to meet you Naruto, the name's Alex!" He stuck out his hand, now grinning.

Naruto stood there, nonplussed, then reached out and shook the proffered hand. "Wait, how did you know my name? And where are we, anyway" He asked as they let go.

"Well," Alex raised his fingers as he started rattling off details, "Let's see... Blond, spiky hair? Check. Blue eyes? Check. Wears bright orange? Check. Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko? Check." Naruto's eyes widened. But black-garbed man hadn't finished, "And finally, son of the Yondaime Hokage. With all those facts against you, who else could it be?"

Naruto gaped at him in shock. He had only found out those last two details today, yet this man had spoken all of them as if he'd known them for years; and they'd never even met before!

"I believe your other question was 'where are we', right? Well, that's easy to answer; we are inside your mindscape."

Naruto frowned, "Wait, mindscape? As in, inside my head? As in, inside me?"

Alex nodded. Then, seeming to remember the girl, he stooped and, picking her up, propped her on the chair.

"Yes, to all three of those. Care to guess where exactly in your mind we are?"

Naruto looked around. Besides the sheer size of the room, nothing about it seemed significant to him. Besides the cage, which had the distinct look of something that did not belong. Like before, he looked up at it. This time, however, he noticed something else: high above, fixed to the center of the bars, was a piece of paper with the word 'seal'. With that, it clicked. They were standing before the seal of the Kyuubi!

"Sharp one, aren't you?" Asked Alex lowly, having pulled his hood back up over his head.

Naruto pointed into the darkness beyond the bars. "That's...that's the Kyuubi?" He asked. His mouth had gone dry at his realization.

Alex tilted his head, considering, "Yes and no." He said, "The only thing inside that cage is the youki, her power. As for the Kyuubi herself," He looked back at the sleeping girl in the chair, "She's not capable of harming anyone."

Naruto followed his gaze with apprehension. "She's the Kyuubi! How did she get out?"

"She has a name, you know." Said Alex, looking weary, "It's Kina. I'm the one who got her out. As a result, I also gave you that power."

Naruto frowned, "You mean the power that makes me stop moving so I can see people who want to beat me to a pulp? That power?"

"Yep."

"Get rid of it."

Alex was caught off guard, "Eh?"

"You heard me. That power is nothing but an annoyance. Sure it shows me where enemies are hiding, but if I'm paralyzed while I use it, they can just walk up and kill me! So get rid of it."

Alex nodded for a moment, "Alright, done. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Explain to me _why_, exactly, you decided to release the reason my life was hell?"

"Hey, don't blame her for that. It's not her fault."

"Don't bla-SHE ATTACKED THE VILLAGE! What the hell do you mean it's not her fault!"

Alex shrugged, "She says that some man with red eyes hypnotized her into attacking Konoha. Considering how often that has happened, I'm inclined to believe her." His expression darkened, both of his eyes becoming green, "If you start blaming her for something she couldn't control, you'll be no worse than the villagers you hate."

Naruto flinched at the accusation, then looked at the girl. Alex was right, he realized. There was no point in holding a grudge for something that had happened years ago. Dimly, he noticed that she had some lumps on her head that were obviously ears. He walked over to the chair and looked down at her. _She's not much older than me._ He thought. How could he hate someone that young? Then he _would_ be just like the villagers. Then he noticed that her clothes were very damp, as if she'd been immersed in a great deal of water. "Why's she so wet?" He asked.

"That's your fault, actually." Said Alex.

"What do you mean? What did I do? Is she alright?" Asked Naruto, having finally decided that she was trustworthy.

"Well...a while ago you must've had some life-alteringly horrible experience, which triggered a flood in here, this being your mindscape and all. I was fine, but Kina-chan had to hold on to me for dear life or get swept away. I highly doubt she's alright; she looks like she'll need a hug when she wakes up."

Naruto remembered the raw, all-consuming despair that had overtaken him when he'd failed the Genin Exam. "Sorry."

Alex waved off Naruto's apology, "It's fine, it's fine. We're both still alive and that's the important part."

"S-speak for yourself, baka." Said a quiet, feminine voice. Kina had finally woken up and sat, curled on the chair, eying both males piteously and shivering.

"Hey Kina-chan, how d'you feel?" Asked Alex concernedly.

"I n-nearly got washed away and drowned! How d-do you think I feel?" She asked, still trembling. "How are you so unaffected?"

"Because of what I am." Alex turned to Naruto, "Could you make her dry? I'd do it myself but the mindscape doesn't like me helping her, so you have to do it." He whispered, "It'll probably make her feel better. You just have to imagine it."

Taken by surprise, Naruto did as he was asked. As she dried off, her trembling lessened, though she still looked afraid. Naruto stepped closer, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Her response was to just reach out and hug him unexpectedly. Clinging to the boy, she finally calmed down enough to look at Alex. "A long time ago, you told me to wait until our jailor came here before you would tell us what you were. Well, he's here, so start talking."

Alex sighed, "Figures you'd remember that far back. Naruto, more chairs please. This will take a while."

Naruto concentrated, creating two more chairs. After they had all sat down, Alex began his story.

"Alright, I suppose this starts with my job. I was once a scientist employed at a company called Gentek." Seeing Kina and Naruto's confusion, he said quickly added, "It doesn't exist anymore, so I'd be surprised if you had heard of it. Anyway, I worked with some other scientists on a special project. We were designing a virus for a certain branch of the military: the Blackwatch."

"What did they want it for?" Asked Naruto.

"What else? They wanted to make their soldiers stronger. The only problem was, we weren't having any luck at all; we kept failing all our tests. Finally, I guess the Blackwatch decided our project cost too much with not enough results. But they couldn't have us telling anyone what we had done for them. So they started killing off all the researchers and scientists associated with the project. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your view, I caught on to what they were doing and tried to run. In the process, I swiped a sample of the virus before I went, thinking I might use it to try and bargain with them."

"You just ran?" Asked Kina incredulously, "Where did you go?"

"I didn't get very far." Said Alex, dryly, "They caught me just outside of Penn station-that's another place that's not around anymore, in case you're wondering. I immediately learned that they weren't going to bother making a deal. They just shot and killed me on sight."

Naruto paled, "K-killed?" He asked nervously.

"You're a ghost?" Asked Kina curiously

"No. I'm just dead. This is where it gets interesting. You will remember that I had stolen a sample of the virus, right? Well, when they shot me-"

"What does that mean, 'they shot you'?" Interrupted Naruto.

"Don't interrupt! I'll tell you some other time. Anyway, when I died, the vial with the virus broke. Then, for some unknown reason, the virus entered my dead body and broke it down. Having absorbed the DNA of my corpse, it rebuilt itself...as me."

This time, it was Kina who interrupted, "Wait. The virus became you? How does that work? _Why_ did it work? I thought the experiment kept failing."

"Well, the problem we always had with the virus was it would give the infected great strength, speed and all that other good stuff. But they would have no reason or sanity. They were just monsters that indiscriminately killed anything that got near. In my case, however, I still maintained my mind, while gaining other powers. As for why...I don't know. Maybe I happened to swipe the one strain that was good. Maybe it entered my body before being exposed to anything else. Hell, maybe it was just because I was dead. Who knows?"

"Powers such as?" Kina prompted.

"Oh, right. Well, I could shape shift, form claws, a shield, that sort of thing. Obviously, I also got faster and stronger. Oh yeah, I have unlimited stamina too, though that might be from my being dead. Most importantly, whenever I killed someone, I would absorb them, converting their body into biomass to heal myself, as well as gain strength."

Naruto looked sickened, "You killed people?" He asked, horrified, "And you ATE them? Are you sure you're sane?"

"Oh, shut up. I had to do what was needed to survive!" Snapped Alex, "Did you think the Blackwatch was just going to sit back and let a new, uncontrollable bio-weapon be created in front of them? Hell no! Since the day I first woke up as myself, they were trying to end my existence. And that wasn't the worst of it!" He continued. He'd gotten to his feet and begun pacing before his audience of two, his speech becoming more animated, "When the vial with the virus shattered, it didn't just enter me! It spread to the dozens of people nearby, and then to the rest of the city. So, not only was there an army of people who are like the ANBU of the military on one side, there was also a horde of bloodthirsty monsters on the other. I was stuck in the middle, just one man with deadly powers and no memories of how he got them. I had to find out a lot the stuff I told you later." He stopped, panting slightly, "Quick, ask me a question so I don't make myself dizzy from this pacing."

"How did you find out what happened if you had no memories?" Asked Naruto, having become so entranced by Alex's story he'd forgotten his earlier disgust.

"Well..." Said Alex, glad to change the subject away from the 'Plague Wars', as he called them, "When I consumed someone..."

Naruto grimaced.

"Oh, get over it. Anyway, when I consumed someone, not only would I heal, but I would also gain their DNA."

"What exactly is DNA?" Asked Kina, "You keep mentioning it, but I don't really know that much about humans, so could you explain it?"

"Yeah, I think I might have been out when Iruka-sensei talked about it." Concurred Naruto.

Alex looked at the both of them, annoyed, then sighed, "DNA, to cut straight to the point, is what makes a person what they are. Appearance, personality, memories, behavior, that sort of thing. Every type of living thing has it. So, if I absorb a person's DNA, I become able to copy everything about them; Appearance, abilities, hell even their clothes, though I'm not sure why."

Having absorbed all this, Naruto sat silently, his face dark, "That still doesn't change the fact that you eat people." He said mutinously.

"Will you stop going on about that!" Roared Alex, losing his temper. "Yes, I did eat people, because it's part of what I am! Sure, over the years, I've refined myself to the point where it's not absolutely vital, but I still have to feed; and eventually, so will you."

Naruto paled, "What do you mean?" He asked nervously.

Alex winced. He hadn't meant to say that so early. He sighed, "I don't know why. Perhaps it happened because of my being sealed in you, but whatever. The point is," Alex put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, looking grave, "My soul is leaking into yours. Sooner or later, you're going to end up like me, power-wise and mentally. We will still be separate beings, but we will have many similarities."

Naruto sat back, the announcement that he would become a man-eating shapeshifter bouncing around in his head. "How...can you tell?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"How can you tell I'm going to become like you?"

Alex considered for a moment, "There are multiple answers I could give for that: 'Since I'm a virus, of course I'd infect my container.', 'I can control _your_ mindscape.', 'Because I wanted it to happen.' It could be any of those. Maybe others. Which one, I don't know. The important part, though, is that it will happen."

Naruto bowed his head. This time it was Kina who spoke up.

"Hey, don't be so depressed! Look at it this way: now you have _two_ people willing to give you their powers."

Naruto looked up in surprise, having forgotten she was in the room. "What do you mean, two?"

"This seal may stop me from leaving, but it's designed so that you can tap into my power if you ever need it. So, think about it, if you can use youki and, uh...what was that stuff you use, Alex?"

"Biomass."

"Right. With biomass and youki, plus your own reserves, you'll be one of the most kickass ninja out there!" She cheered, raising her fist.

Naruto stared at her, not having expected this optimistic outburst from the infamous Kyuubi no Yoko, "Why would you help me?" He asked.

She shrugged, "Why not? I'm stuck in here, so there's nothing else I could do. Besides," She looked down sadly, "Because of me, you had to grow up shunned by nearly everyone in Konoha. In payment, I will give you whatever power you need."

"She's not the only one." Alex spoke up, a determined gleam in his brown eyes, "I may not have such a concrete reason as her, but I will give you whatever help I can."

Naruto stared at both of them. Before today, he hadn't had any friends. But now, he had two people who claimed they would help him. _No,_ He thought, remembering how Hinata had comforted him in his darkest moment, _Three._

"And again, don't worry about the whole 'eating people' thing." Alex was saying, drawing Naruto's attention, "I told you, I've refined my powers so that you won't have to kill to survive. You still need to eat a lot, but it's an improvement."

Naruto grinned, "It's alright. It doesn't seem to bother me so much anymore."

Alex frowned, "That probably means the fusion has begun. Now that we've made contact, things should start picking up. When you leave, be sure to check your appearance. Something might have changed."

Naruto nodded, "Okay! Now...how do I leave?" he asked lamely.

Kina furrowed her brow, "Well, you got here by falling asleep," She said, "Maybe you leave by waking up."

"But I'm already-"

(Real world)

"-awake." He said into his pillow. Rolling over, he sat up, looking around. He was back in his bedroom. _No, not back. I never left._ He corrected himself. It was already morning, the sunlight streaming in through his dirty window.

_Oi, don't forget check the mirror for anything different._ Said a voice in the back of his head. He jumped, looking around.

_Alex, is that you?_

_*sigh* I'll spare you the sarcastic retort for now. Yes, it's me._

_How are talking to me?_

_I'm in your head. We've made contact. It's not that difficult to work out._ Came the irritable reply. _Also, now we can see everything you see._

_'We' being you and Kina right?_ There was no answer, just a projected feeling that said 'do I really have to answer that?' _Okay, dumb question, sorry._

Getting off the bed, he made his way to the bathroom, hoping to get a shower as well as check his appearance.

Looking in the mirror, he gasped in shock. While he had not changed very much, the one thing that did was quite startling. His left eye was the same brown as Alex's own eyes.

_Hey, Alex? I think it _is_ starting._

_This does not surprise me._ A moment of silence, _Kina thinks it looks awesome._

_About that, why haven't I heard from Kina? I thought she'd be very chatty after our encounter._

_Dunno. For now, only I can talk directly to you, she can't. I'll try and fix that later. But in the meantime, she's right; it does look cool._

_Yeah it is, but the villagers might freak if they see it._ Naruto replied, getting in the shower.

_Just don't make eye contact. They won't see anything amiss if they can't see your eyes._

_True._ Naruto suddenly had another thought. _Hey, Alex. Do you think I can make this new eye go all green like yours do?_

There was a musing silence in his head. Finally, when Alex answered, there was a slight tremble in his voice, as if he were trying hard not to laugh, _Most likely. I mean, normally, all it does is speed up your perception a bit, that's not very hard to achieve for someone like me-I mean us. We'll have to see during training._

Naruto blinked, _Training? I haven't even gotten my team yet and you want me to train?_

_Of course. We need to see what you're capable of; you don't have _all_ of my powers yet._ As he spoke, Alex's voice shook even more, trying not to laugh.

Naruto's eye twitched angrily, _May I ask what the hell is so funny?_

At this, Alex burst out in a strangely high-pitched cackle of laughter, _I'm sorry!_ He howled, _I'm sorry, it's just so hilarious!_

Puzzled, Naruto sent him an image of a question mark. He furrowed his brow at the image he got in return. It showed Kina staring off into apparent space. Her eyes were slightly unfocused in a look of awe and, along with a slight blush, there was a trickle of blood on her upper lip.

_What's wrong with her?_

Still chuckling, Alex said, _Remember when I said we can see whatever you do?_

_Yeah..._

_Well, when you got in the shower, she instantly became...riveted. You might want to be careful where you look in the future. Huh?_Alex's voice cut off suddenly. After a moment, Naruto felt his presence return, with a feeling of amusement.

_What is it? Did she say something?_

_Yes...She said that 'whoever ends up becoming your girlfriend will be very, very lucky', close quotes._

Naruto facepalmed, _Great,_ He thought, _I've got a perverted fox-girl living in my head._

_Actually, the only bad part of that is that she's on the inside, so you can't really...do anything._ Said Alex's voice musingly.

After thinking about that for a moment and figuring out what the man meant, Naruto deadpanned, _Correction, TWO perverts in my head. Just great._

_Three perverts, if you count yourself._ Said Alex, still in that thoughtful tone.

_The hell're you talking about? I'm no pervert!_ Naruto asked furiously.

In answer, Alex merely sent an image Naruto's way. It had Hinata in it. And Kina. They were naked. And in very enticing positions. The resultant nosebleed, as well as the need to finish his shower with cold water, told Naruto that arguing against Alex was not good for his dignity.

_Bah, who needs dignity. Seriously, it just makes your sense of humor suffer. Hang on I'll be right back._ Alex's voice fell silent, leaving Naruto to put his clothes on in silence. As he prepared to leave for the training field, he looked inward.

_Hey, you guys still there? Hellooo?_

_Hiya, Naruto-kun!_ Came Kina's cheerful voice from the back of his head, though she sounded irked.

_Kina? I thought you couldn't speak through the link._

_She couldn't._ Said Alex's voice calmly, _I managed to make a new one however, so now she can._

Noting that his new friend's calmness seemed rather fake, Naruto asked, _What's wrong?_

_Kina made me show her the picture._ Said Alex, _You'll be surprised to hear she didn't like it. Now she's chasing me around the room, trying to hit me._

_Come back here, you bastard!_ Shouted Kina furiously, _Just you wait, you can't keep running forever!_

_Plainly she didn't listen to my explanation of my powers._ Alex muttered to Naruto, _I think she forgot about the 'unlimited stamina' part. I've run across the city and back and not gotten tired in the least._

_Speaking of which,_ Thought Naruto as he strolled down the streets to a nearby training ground, _I'm getting the feeling that you still haven't told us everything._

It took Alex a moment to answer. When he did, his tone was grim, _You are correct. There are things that I have yet to tell you. However, I ain't telling you shit until you do some training. Call it incentive._

_Kina's right, you are a bastard._ Naruto thought dully.

_A bastard who can show you pictures of the girl you like._ Corrected Alex smugly.

Naruto, for the life of himself, couldn't come up with an argument for that.

_I'll take your silence for an agreement, then._

_Shut up._ He grunted, _Let's get this over with._

_Yes, let's._

AN: Okay, done. Sorry, to those who were expecting a longer chapter. Don't worry, I will have Alex explain his 'other things' in the next one. Originally, I had wanted to put this chapter and the next one together, but decided to separate them, cause I _really_ didn't want to write so much without uploading.

Naruto merging with Alex: I realize that this concept has been done to death in other fics, but I assure you, it has never been done this way. For one thing, as was previously stated, Naruto will not immediately become as all-powerful as Alex. For now, it's just increased strength, reflexes, enhanced healing, that sort of thing. Maybe mixing chakra and biomass. Eventually, though, Naruto will become more powerful.

Poll: C'mon people, I need to know who you want me to put in, though thank you, to those 3 people who _did_ vote.

The poll stands thus:

Metal (male) 3  
Glass/Living art (female) 3  
Lightning (male) 2  
Sound (female) 1  
Wind (male) 1  
Technology (male) 1

More votes would be appreciated, if you please.

Read, review and vote. North South out.

Next time: Training, Explanations, and the Negative Infinity.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Alright then, chapter 6 underway.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Jutsu/Technique  
**

Chapter 6

Storia sat at his desk, bored out of his mind. For the past five minutes since getting to the training field, Naruto had just stood there, not doing anything. Storia knew he was still talking to Alex, but still! Ever heard of multitasking?

Storia's mental ramblings were interrupted by a tiny hand tugging on his pant leg. Looking down, he was greeted by the sight of a tiny, red-haired girl looking back up at him. It was one of the Terme, Fuoca if he remembered correctly. Looking down at her round face and wide, yellow eyes, he could see why all the other girls adored her. She was rather cute.

He reached down, patting her on the head, intending to ask her what she wanted. "YOW!" He yanked his hand back, shaking the burned appendage. _Oh, right,_ he thought dismally, _She's a Terme, a pyromanse._ (AN: Term I made up. Sounds better than pyromancer)

Putting his glasses on, he leaned toward, inspecting the part of the girl that had burnt his hand. With the improved vision provided by his glasses, he was able to see that her hair glowed and emitted sparks, like a burning ember. She made a noise of impatience at his lack of greetings.

"Hm? Oh right, is there something you wanted?"

"Dove è Blair?" asked the girl.

Storia sweatdropped, _Of all the...Italian? What the hell? I don't know Italian!_ "I can't understand you. What _about_ Blair?"

Fuoca huffed. "_Dove!_" she said emphatically, putting the edge of one hand to her forehead and looking around exaggeratedly.

Storia merely blinked for a moment, then got it. "Oh! You mean where? She's probably somewhere among the bookshelves." He thought for a moment, frowning, "Probably not a place you should go. You might burn it down by accident. Also, those books aren't for you to see just yet...I'll go get her."

Wandering the books he knew so well, with the help of some assisting gargoyles, he eventually came across Blair, exactly where he knew she would be: sitting in a chair reading Icha Icha Paradise.

"Having fun?" he asked sarcastically, a tick mark pulsing in his temple.

"Yep." She said cheerfully, not looking up from the porn, "You really should write this stuff more often unc-" She looked up, paling as she realized who she was speaking to, "U-uncle." She squeaked.

"You know, I actually didn't write that." Said Storia, the tick mark becoming more pronounced, "I just recorded it over the guy's shoulder."

"Really? Wow, you're cheap." Blair said cheekily, quickly getting over her embarrassment.

"And _you're_ supposed to be organizing this crap!" he said loudly, "I don't want that neat-freak Mason to come up here and start one of his inspections. I couldn't get any work done the last time he pulled that! He kept insisting that the Oculus' pedestal was crooked. Damn retard kept touching and moving it. He also lost my place in my book 'cause the pages weren't open at the center." He calmed slightly, "Anyway, tidy earth-man aside, Fuoca Terme wants to see you."

Blair looked surprised, "Really? What'd she want?"

"How the fuck should I know?" He snapped, "I could barely understand her when she asked for you. You're the one who's good with translations, YOU ask her!"

"All right, all right, jeez. Don't have to bite my head off." Blair muttered, gesturing for him to lead the way. "Besides uncle, I thought you could understand other languages."

"Only when it comes to my chronicles." He replied, walking back along the twisting passages, "As a Narrator, I need to understand what's being said. It's not always that simple, though. Sometimes, certain aspects of the story will keep themselves hidden from me, leaving me just as clueless as you."

"Oi..." growled Blair, a tick mark of her own appearing. At that moment, however, they reached the desk where Fuoca was waiting for them. Instantly forgetting her annoyance at the historian, Blair rushed over and picked up the young pyromanse in a tight hug, squealing at her cuteness.

"Hey, why did I get burned and you didn't?" Receiving no answer, Storia went back to his chair. The two females started up a conversation in Italian, their rapid speech leaving the Narrator thoroughly confused. Eventually, they stopped talking and Blair turned to him, frowning slightly.

"Hey uncle, you remember that promise you made?" When Storia raised his eyebrow in bewilderment, she continued, "The one where, if I got enough people to join me, you would send me to that world where Alex is. It seems as if I've got one person now."

Storia looked at the tiny, yellow-eyed girl incredulously, before looking back at Blair, "That's not enough. You'll need three more people before I send you anywhere."

Blair bristled indignantly, "Thr-wha-are you serious!" she yelled. Who knew how long it would take her to find the right Gorem to join her?

"Perfectly." Said Storia. With that, he turned back to his book and placed his hands on the Oculus.

(Back at Naruto-verse)

Naruto stood by some posts, ready to begin training. _Alright, what should we do?_ He asked Alex.

_Well, to start with, we should see how much your strength has improved, because _that_ has definitely gone up._ Replied Alex. _Try punching something, like that log._

Naruto looked at the nearest post apprehensively. It was all well and good of Alex to tell him to punch it, but even Naruto knew that if you punched something harder than your fist, all you'd end up with was a broken hand (or at least bruised).

_Less worrying, more punch._

Naruto sweatdropped. Sighing, he drew back his fist and threw a punch at the log. It hit the log with a loud crunching sound; he winced, expecting to feel intense pain. When he didn't, he looked more closely at the log. There was a splintered dent in the wood, roughly the size of a fist. Eyes wide, he looked down at his hand, which seemed to be unharmed.

_Well, your strength seems to be good enough for now. Moving on, sit down; I need to explain some power stuff._

Naruto obeyed, seating himself on the turf, _What's this about? What do you mean, 'power stuff'?_

_I need to explain how your various energies are arranged, so you can understand how to use them. _Alex replied.

Naruto frowned, _Alright..._ He suddenly found himself inside the mindscape, staring at Alex.

"Why'd you bring me here?" he asked, "Can't you just tell me from the outside?"

"Not really. I need to be able to see you in order to properly teach you." With a wave of his hand, Alex created a large chart. On the chart was a black outline of a person. Inside the outline, there were two kidney-shaped blue blobs, located in the abdomen. The blobs had a series of branching tendrils that spread throughout the interior of the diagram. "Alright, this thing," he indicated the blue lines, "Is your normal chakra system. The two things in the middle are your chakra coils. Chakra acts in several ways: it flows throughout your body, like blood, except it can be used as energy for things such as jutsu and enhancing muscle performance. It can also be used in ways to differently affect thing around you, such as healing, walking on water and making weapons sharper."

"Why are you bothering with this?" Naruto interrupted, "We went over this at the academy."

Alex just gave Naruto a deadpan look, "And how much of the stuff at the academy did you actually hear? Didn't you always just joke around and get kicked out by all the teachers that thought you were the Kyuubi? Just listen." He resumed his lecture, explaining to the blond the different elements that chakra could imitate, and the properties of each. "So," He finished, seeing Naruto's impatience, "Moving on..." an orange ball appeared on the chart, between the chakra coils, "This is Kina-chan's youki. Youki, unlike chakra, is capable of acting on its own if not given instruction. For instance, if you attack someone while using it and miss, the youki will reach out and hit them anyway. One of the problems with using youki is that you can't access it yourself."

Naruto, who had become interested at this new information, asked, "What do you mean?"

Alex pointed at the seal on the back wall, "That thing is blocking you from drawing on Kina's power. Originally, it would help you extract some youki to use, but since Kina herself is on the outside, the seal is clamping down on what remains of the Kyuubi within it. Fortunately, because Kina-chan is out here, you can still access the youki through her." He thought for a moment, "It's like...she can drag the youki out of the cage, because it's her power, and give it to you."

Naruto nodded, then looked around suddenly. "Speaking of which, where is Kina?"

Alex waved his hand, "Oh, she's around. Kinda got tired from chasing me." He grinned smugly. Then he grew serious again, "Anyway, there are other downsides to using youki." He began counting on his fingers, "One: When using youki, everyone immediately knows that you're there. It carries an enormous signature that even an amateur could detect. Two: You can't use jutsu while using youki. The nature of it is too volatile, and any attempts to use a jutsu will probably end up blowing up in your face. Three, and this is most important: Youki is corrosive. Using it for any amount of time will burn you internally. Normally, with your healing, this would not be a problem; until you reach the four-tails state."

"Wait, what?" Asked Naruto, blinking in confusion. He had become completely engrossed in Alex's lecture and the mention of tails had caught him off guard. "What do you mean, tails?"

Alex shook his head, having also been jerked out of his lecture. "Er, didn't I say?" he asked uncertainly, "When you draw on enough of the Kyuubi's power, an aura of sorts appears around you, acting as a shield, typically in the shape of a fox. The aura possesses a chakra tail; when you use more it becomes two, then three and so on. Anyway, when you reach four tails, the corrosive power becomes so much it starts to burn your skin off."

Naruto winced.

"Yeah, it's painful. Since your regeneration is still active, you're constantly re-growing and burning off your skin, which causes you to bleed from your pores. The blood then mixes with the fox's aura and you end up looking like a red silhouette of chakra, with no discernable features. While this does look totally badass, however, because you're regenerating and losing skin cells, you're also shortening your overall lifespan."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I mean, it sounds painful, but how would that shorten my life?"

Alex nodded satisfactorily, "Glad you asked. It's because of your cells; they can only reproduce a certain amount of times and if they reproduce at an extremely fast rate continually, they start to die off faster. However, there is a way around this."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, slightly skeptical, but also hopeful. "Really? How?"

Alex spun and jabbed his finger at the black part of the diagram, which was the whole body. "Your third form of energy," he said significantly, "Biomass. In a way, it is the opposite of youki: it only acts when controlled and is completely invisible to chakra senses. Also, while youki and normal chakra need to be drawn from a source, such as your chakra coils or the seal, biomass can be accessed from anywhere in your body, because it is not truly located in any specific part."

Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion, "Alright," he said, frowning, "You lost me. How can something be drawn from anywhere, but not actually _be_ anywhere?"

Alex grinned, delighted to able to explain such an impossibility. "You see," He leaned in, speaking as if he feared being overheard, "Biomass is stored in a special pocket-dimension; a mini-world, if you will, and the only door that can go there, metaphorically speaking, is your body."

Naruto's head was spinning from the complicated jargon. "So...are you saying...biomass is in a separate world altogether and I can draw it out using my body?"

Alex thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, that's it essentially. Also, since biomass is what your body is made of, you can dismiss _that_ back to the void as well."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

Alex sighed, "Alright, bear with me, okay? What you have in your body right now, your innards and muscles, is like your own reserve of biomass. The virus that you and I both have allows you to produce an amount of biomass equal to what is already in your body. Then, sending this excess biomass to parts of your body, you can increase your strength twofold. Or you can use the virus to manipulate that biomass in order to change your shape. You with me so far?"

Naruto nodded.

"Okay, now imagine this: you need to change your arm into something, but there's not enough biomass in your body to change with. So, you draw some biomass out of the big reserve-world in order to have enough. Then once you're done and need to change back, you dismiss the biomass as you do so. And that's not all; you can send whatever biomass you already have to the void, making yourself lighter. Any questions?"

"Yeah, are we done? Asked Naruto, "'Cause, while all this is interesting, I kinda want to go back to training."

Alex frowned, "If you must. When you wake up, make a bunch of clones."

(Real world)

Naruto opened his eyes. He was still sitting by the dented log. Stretching, he stood up, bringing his hands up to form the now-familiar cross-shaped seal. **"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"** He barked. Instantly, the field was filled with an army of orange-clad clones.

_Alright you guys, listen up! I've got a bunch of stuff for you to learn, so split up into teams. Each group will receive info on the technique they should learn. Now transmitting._

All the real Naruto felt was an indistinguishable surge of color, sound, and information surging through his head. He staggered, overwhelmed. Then the mass of information seemed to spread out of his mind and towards the clones, leaving his head clear. The clones blinked and began murmuring to themselves. Naruto faintly heard the words 'whoa' and 'awesome' as they moved off into groups.

_Okay, made dozens of clones, now what?_

_Now, you make five more clones. This time, though, mold your chakra while mixing it with your biomass._

Naruto frowned, _How do I do that? And why should I?_

Alex replied, _Don't worry. Drawing and molding biomass should come naturally to you. Just imagine the two mixing as you make the handseal. As for why, while Kage Bunshin are ideal for training in chakra control, they can only train you physically by acting as training dummies._

Uncertainly, Naruto put his hands into position again. This time however, he tried to feel for something other than chakra. At first he found nothing, then a cool, thick substance seemed to materialize alongside his chakra coils. He imagined the two energies, the warm, watery feel of chakra and the cold, viscous sensation of the biomass, rising through his body to the crossed handseal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** This time, only five clones appeared, standing in a line. As Alex gave him instructions, Naruto relayed them to his doppelgangers. "You guys are going to come at me one at a time. When one clone has been dispelled, another will come replace him. Understood?"

"Hai!" yelled the bunshin.

Wasting no time, one clone ran at Naruto with surprising speed, punching out at him. Naruto, caught off guard by the swiftness of the clone, barely managed to dodge the oncoming fist. The attacking bunshin stumbled as his strike went wide. Taking advantage of his copy's opening, Naruto darted forward and delivered a punch of his own. This one hit the clone squarely in the jaw, the strength of it sending him sprawling to the ground. Thinking his clone dispelled, Naruto turned back to the others, but before he could say 'next', something heavy, fast and _strong_ collided with his back, knocking him to the ground. It was confusion as Naruto found himself pinned to the earth in an arm-lock by his decidedly un-dispelled copy. He struggled against the grip holding him down, but the strength of the Kage Bunshin was too much.

_Oi, Alex!_ He yelled internally, _got any suggestions? 'Cause some help would be good around now!_

_Try channeling biomass to your arms!_ Alex said quickly. _He's not augmenting his own strength, so it'll give you an advantage._

Not even bothering to question his tenant's orders, Naruto drew on the biomass and sent it surging into the muscles of his arms. Instantly, the hands holding him down vanished. No, not vanish, it just seemed that way; Naruto's own new power made him feel as if the angry doppelganger was doing nothing. With ease, he flipped over, breaking the clones grip. He was on his feet in an instant, facing down the copy. He rushed his adversary and, before his opponent could do more than gulp, pummeled him with a barrage of punches. During his assault, Naruto was dimly aware of his clone's bones breaking under the strength of his fists. Deciding to finish this with one more hit, he stepped back, the biomass leaving his arms. Then he spun, his leg whipping out and striking the clone in the chest, channeling the black power to his leg this time. The resultant blow sent the unfortunate body-double flying and broke some ribs. It flew a good distance and landed at the edge of the field, finally dispelling with a quiet *puff...*, it's injuries too much for its chakra-and-biomass body.

Naruto laughed, exhilarated, "Log DAMN, that was awesome!" He yelled.

_Nice!_ Exclaimed Alex, clearly impressed, _Good use of biomass enhancement, as well as an epic finisher. Not bad, for a beginner. I can tell we'll be replaying that scene a lot, just for kicks, no pun intended._

Cackling to himself, Naruto turned to the remaining, very nervous, durable bunshin, "Right, who's next?" he asked evilly, cracking his knuckles with relish. The next clone in the line gulped audibly.

(3 clones and an hour later)

The last clone swung desperately at its creator. For the last hour, it had watched Naruto slaughter the rest of its brothers. Each clone's performance had improved with the defeat of the previous victims, putting up more of a fight as time went on. But each time Naruto had switched fighting styles, though it always ended in the same way: shattering the copy's bones until it dispelled. This last clone was determined not to die like the others. It had managed to catch the original off guard and was now pounding him for all that it was worth. It didn't let him get a single opening as the clone punched, backhanded and kicked him at every chance it could.

_I like this one._ Said Alex, watching critically from Naruto's eyes, _try and remember its style so you can use it yourself._

_I'll get the memories when I kick his ass, you prick!_ Naruto shouted back into his mind as he tried desperately to block the attacks, _And I don't see you doing anything. Help me out here!_

_Why?_ Asked the human virus simply, _He's slowed down. Take advantage and win._

Naruto blinked. Alex was right, the clone now seemed to be moving in slow-motion. Why was that? On an impulse, he looked at his reflection in the copy's blue eyes. There, he saw that his right eye (or rather, his left, since it was a mirror image) had turned green with a crossed pupil.

_That'll be your adrenaline state._ Said Alex musingly, _Interesting...it speeds up your perception, allowing you to react to a dangerous situation with better reflexes._

_Meaning?_ Asked Naruto, frustrated.

_Meaning, to you, he's just standing there, waiting for you to finish him. Why don't you oblige him?_

Naruto grinned, forgetting his annoyance. With barely a thought, he charged his legs with biomass and crouched, preparing to jump. This time, however, he also sent chakra to the tenketsu in his feet. Then, as he pushed off the ground, he forced the built up chakra out through the soles of his feet. The extra propulsion, as well as the added strength from the biomass, sent Naruto flying about ten feet into the air. As he fell, he raised his leg, preparing to bring it down on his opponent. A second later, as gravity came into effect, his heel met the top of the clone's head, sending the unfortunate bastard face first into the ground with enough force to dispel it.

Naruto crouched, his leg still stretched out in front of him. Then he looked around, "Where's the next one?" he asked.

_There isn't one. You killed all of them._ Said Alex wryly, _By the way, you're probably going to regret killing them so horribly._

_Why?_ Asked Naruto.

All Alex did was to start a countdown, _3...2...1._ he muttered.

When he reached one, Naruto seized his head in pain. The memories of his clones, which Alex had kept suppressed until after the fights, now came flooding to the surface, overloading his mind and driving him to unconsciousness.

(Mindscape)

Naruto looked around, wondering what the hell had happened. One moment he was basking in the glory of having defeated his enemy, the next he was in a great deal of pain, and the _next_ moment he was back in the seal chamber.

"Alex," He said dangerously, looking around for the source of his anger, "Where the hell are you? Why'd you have to knock me out? You could've just asked me to come." Hearing a noise behind him, he turned, "There you-" He stopped. It was not Alex standing in front of him, but Kina. She looked at him, her red eyes very droopy.

"Oh..." She mumbled, shuffling towards him, "Hello, Naruto-kun." She had the appearance of a person who had just been woken up from a deep sleep and would like to go back there. "Where's Alex? Th' bastard wouldn't stop runnin' away..."

Naruto remembered Alex saying something about Kina tiring herself out after trying to hit him for a perverted picture he'd created. He watched as she swayed, still apparently half asleep. "Er...I don't know where he is." He said as she stumbled closer, "Maybe he'll come back later. You should go back sleep, you look kinda tired."

"M'kay." She slurred. Then, without much warning, her head fell forward, hitting Naruto in the chest with a soft thud. Surprised, Naruto stumbled back, both of them crashing to the floor. As Naruto lay dazed, Kina giggled lightly in her sleep. She crawled further up him, wrapping her arms around his middle and rubbing herself against him, revealing to him that she was quite as...gifted as Hinata.

Naruto groaned. This was the second time that week where he ended up being 'squished' by a sleeping/unconscious girl. "Just great," He said, "Now all I need is for Alex to find me like this."

"Find you like what?" Asked a voice innocently.

Naruto looked up to see Alex standing over him, grinning like a loon. He had his index fingers and thumbs arranged in a rectangle. There was a flash of bright light. "OW!"

"Hehe." Alex was now holding a photo depicting Naruto with Kina cuddling against him. "This'll go in my collection." He flicked his hand, causing the picture to vanish, "What were you saying?" he asked.

Naruto would have gladly have gotten up to pound that smug smile off of Alex, but Kina was still squishing herself against him and he didn't want to wake her up. Plus she had his arms trapped in her embrace. And she was soft. So he settled for giving Alex an angry glare. "What the hell, man! Where have you been? And why did you knock me out?"

Alex gave an aggrieved sigh, "I didn't knock you out. You just got overloaded by an hour's worth of dispelled clone memories. You'll have to be careful about how many you dispel at once. As for where I was..." He shrugged, "I was busy organizing said memories."

Naruto's anger was quickly replaced by curiosity, "What do you mean, organizing?"

Alex's own eyes were filled with an intense enthusiasm. "Wake up Kina and I'll show you both."

"I would, but my arms are stuck." Naruto retorted irritably, "You do it."

Sighing, Alex leaned down to whisper something in the sleeping fox-girl's ear. Whatever it was made her moan quietly in her sleep and sit up, rubbing her eyes.

"Can't a girl get any sleep around here?" she asked, annoyed, though she blushed as she stared at Naruto, who she was still sitting on.

"You can sleep later." Said Alex, who was walking away, "Come on, I've got something to show you two."

Glancing at each other, Naruto and Kina scrambled to their feet and followed him. To their confusion, he led them to the wall of the chamber, where a plain, metal door stood.

"I don't remember this being here." Said Kina, who had searched the chamber over the years for something to do.

"It was," Alex reassured her, "It was just being unnoticeable until now." He pulled the door open, "After you."

Both Naruto and Kina stepped through, finding themselves in a dark tunnel. Unlike the tunnel that led to the sealing chamber, this tunnel was much smaller, the stone walls being a gray-blue color. The hallway ended with three more plain doors, though these had signs above them. The one on the left said _Skills_, the one on the right simply said _DNA_ and the middle one said _Memories/Information_.

"Through here." Said Alex, opening the middle one.

As they stepped through, Naruto blinked. The room they had entered was much darker than any of the other areas of the mindscape he had previously been to, though that didn't say much. The room was filled with rows of low metal shelves, stretching into the distance on either side. Each shelf was packed with neatly aligned cardboard boxes, each bearing a date on the front.

"These," Said Alex significantly, indicating the boxes as he led the two among them, "Are your memories, Naruto-kun. Until recently, they were just floating bits of information, with no order at all. Now, thanks to my work, they are arranged by the date they were made. If you ever wish to view one, just go up and open one."

Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Well..." Naruto scratched his head, "That's cool and all, but how do I know which ones to pick? What if I don't know the date, just the events?"

"You ask for the memory containing that event." Said Alex simply, "And the path will light the way to the right box."

Naruto turned his head, looking out among the shelves. "So, if I wanted to see something that happened a few years ago..."

As the words left his mouth, the ground beneath him lit up, creating a ragged trail that led to one of the shelves before turning and vanishing from sight. Nonplussed, Naruto followed it, with Alex and Kina behind him. Rounding the corner of the shelf, Naruto saw the trail stopping at a certain point on the right-hand shelf, where one of the boxes was glowing. He glanced at it, then at Alex.

"Go on," Alex prompted, "Open it."

Apprehensively, Naruto reached out and unfolded the flaps at the top, then peered in. Inside were several files; opening those revealed a series of pictures. They seemed to depict, from the point of view of the photographer, a class at the Ninja Academy. Naruto looked up. "Now what? Do I touch it or something?"

"Only if you want to." Said Alex quickly, "When you enter a memory, you view things from your own point of view. What your eyes saw and your ears heard that day, you also experience. However, since it is just a recording of a past event, you can control it to an extent, slowing it down, stopping it and replaying it. Also, you can pay attention to things in the memory that you might not have picked up on at the time. This is because you still saw it, whether you noticed it or not at the time."

Naruto nodded, processing this bit of knowledge.

"The memories of your clones, on the other hand," Continued Alex, who had slipped into his lecture mode once again, "Get put in a different box from your own. Again, if you want to view their memories, just look for their box. It has a large C under the date. Right, I think that's enough of a walk down Memory Lane, let's move on." He led them out of the room, ignoring Naruto's protestations that he wanted to stay. Exiting, Alex indicated that they should go through the right door, "This room is rather simple," He explained, "It allows you to see the state of your DNA, as well as the DNA of people you will eventually gain."

The room opened onto a large balcony with a rail, beyond which was an enormous spherical chamber. This chamber was just as large, if not larger than the sealing chamber. Floating in the middle of the sphere-shaped space was an unusual object. It looked as if someone had taken an extremely long ladder by the ends and twisted it, so that each of the side parts curled around each other. The entire thing looped back on itself, making an incomplete circle.

Naruto gazed at the twisted ladder, awed by its complexity, "Is that...is that DNA?" he asked, "I didn't expect it to look like a...uh..."

"It's called a double-helix." Said Alex, "And yes, it is awesome. But, you notice how it looks kinda broken?"

Naruto looked more closely, and saw that parts of the floating DNA were slightly cracked and worn, as if something had attacked it. "What's wrong with it?"

Alex sighed, "It shows how unstable your genetic code is. The virus I carry allows me to shape shift because my own DNA is so unstable that it has no fixed form. Your DNA, however, still has enough solidity that shape shifting is quite beyond you."

Naruto gaped at Alex. "What do you mean, I can't? You're telling me I'm going to end up like you, but not have your powers? Da Fuck!"

"Hey, calm down. You _will_ be able to use my powers, it'll just take time for your DNA to break down enough. For now, you've still got strength and stamina and all that stuff."

Kina, who, until that point had been silent, spoke up. "Is there any way to speed up the process?"

Slightly relieved at being presented with an opportunity to divert his landlord's ire, Alex turned to her, smiling. "As a matter of fact, there is! Thank for reminding me, Kina-chan."

"Eh...any time." She said, sweat-dropping at her friend's relief.

Alex looked back at Naruto. "You remember what I said about youki being damaging to your body, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Wait, what!" both males looked at Kina, who was looking as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Nobody told me about this!"

"No? Well, it does. Anyway, one of the things youki does is that it's so damaging to you it starts breaking down your DNA. When that happens, you'll be able to use more of my power. Before you say anything, _no_, we will not do that now. Like I said before, you start using youki and every ninja's gonna come running looking for you. I'd prefer to keep my existence a secret from everyone for a while, and if you're being questioned by the likes of Ibiki Morino because the council doesn't like you, eventually it's gonna come out. So, no youki for now."

"Damn...wait, who's Ibiki?" Asked Naruto, doing a double take.

Alex stood up straighter, as if reciting in front of a class, "Ibiki is the top interrogator of the village, as well as a total sadist. Steer clear of him."

Kina frowned, "You've been stuck in here for the last 13 years; how could you know something like that?"

"Before I answer that, we should go back to the sealing chamber so we can sit down. This is gonna be another long-ass story." Said Alex. Beckoning, he led the other two back to the sealing chamber.

Once they had sat down and gotten moderately comfortable, Alex scratched his cheek, wondering where to begin. "Well, I guess I'll start with where I came from."

"What do you mean?" asked Kina, "You already told us-"

"No he didn't," Interrupted Naruto, "He just told us his life story. He may have mentioned a few places, but he hasn't actually told us where he's from."

"And if you'll stop interrupting me, I'll tell you." Growled Alex. Naruto and Kina ducked their heads guiltily. "Thank you. Now, to start things off: I'm from a completely different world from yours."

Naruto couldn't help himself, "Man, you just jump straight to the point, don't you?" He said, grinning.

Without warning, a newspaper appeared in Alex's hands. "SHUT UUUUP!" He roared furiously. "Let me get on with my god damn story!" The newspaper vanished again, "Okay, one thing you have to understand is that there are thousands of universes in existence, each one corresponding with a story. For instance, if you have ever read a book, somewhere out there, there is a world where the events of that book are true. My world is...was no different. After the events of the Plague Wars, I wandered my whole world, gathering power as I went." Seeing Naruto and Kina's faces, he added quickly, "When you live a life like mine, it's a hobby as much as it was a necessity. After things quieted down in New York, my city, I decided it was time for me to move on. I hoped that if I disappeared, the Blackwatch might think that I'd died, and the war might die down. I was not that lucky. If anything, it became worse, since I had become the mother of all plague carriers. More people became infected, alerting the Blackwatch to the fact that I was still around. They immediately came after me, but it was too late. By the time they realized what was going on, it had spread to most of the country, and then to the rest of the world. So there I was, the one sane man in a world full of monsters. The other ones saw how I still looked human and hated me for it. Because of that, some tried to kill me, probably to gain the secret of my humanity. However, I was too much for them, so I consumed and ate them, adding their power to my own. I don't really know how long things continued like that, but I eventually began to wish I could die, just to end the constant running away from the Hunters. But my status as the world's most powerful zombie made that impossible. Then, one day..." Alex's captive audience perked up, hoping for a brighter turn in this grim story, "A man came up to me. You might not think that is very strange, but remember, I had thought that all humans had died out on the planet, leaving me to face the Infected. But there he was, a man dressed in gray robes and black-framed glasses. He told me, 'My name is Storia. I know what you are, and what you have done; but I'm willing to put that in the past, where it belongs. If you will join me, if you promise to use your powers for the benefit of my clan, I will take you away from here and we will treat you as the person you could have been.'"

(Storia's library)

Storia sneezed violently, whacking his head on the crystal ball. "Oww." He moaned. He looked down at the unfinished page, with Alex's words having just written themselves, "You bastard, you knew that would happen!" He growled. Then his face softened. "But...thank you. I wondered if you would still remember that. It does my heart good, old friend." Clearing his throat, he recited the next words that he knew would appear on the page.

(Naruto's Mindscape)

"To this day...I have never regretted my choice." Continued Alex solemnly. He turned his head, presenting his two listeners with the side of his neck. As they watched, as symbol began to take shape on his skin. It looked like a section of DNA, the two outer strands of the double-helix forming a sideways figure-eight, with a thin, neat black line struck horizontally through the resulting infinity sign. Alex glanced at Naruto and Kina out of the corner of his eye. "I am now, and I always shall be, Alex Mercer: member of the Gormim."

There was a deep silence at the end of these words. Naruto and Kina looked at each other for a moment, then back at Alex. Finally, Kina asked gently, "Who are the Gormim?"

Alex shook his head slightly to clear it. "The Gormim are a group, a race, almost, that travel between the worlds of known stories, looking for different types of power. Meaning, if they observe a certain power, artifact, or ability, they will try to duplicate it so that they can use it themselves."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, "Why would they do that?"

Alex shrugged, "Because power is an incredible thing, and nothing makes a Gorem more excited than the possibility that they can do something so incredible. When they fight, they do so merely to test what they can accomplish with a certain technique. Some of them appear to be serious, but at heart, they are all show-offs that love to experiment with their capabilities." The note of affection in Alex's voice told Naruto and Kina that he was also of the same mind. "The Gormim also love to meddle. If there is a fight, even if they don't know which side is which, they will immediately try to interfere." He looked around. "Any questions so far?"

"You say that the Gormim travel a lot," Said Naruto immediately, "But where do they live? Don't they have a home?"

"Oh, they have a home alright." Said Alex fervently, "It's a place that lies between every universe. A world of its own. Just an empty void, with a few buildings and environments drifting about. Due to the fact that none of them are really tied to anything, the whole thing is called the Scattered Foundations."

"Wait," interrupted Kina, "What do you mean, it's between every world?"

Alex sighed, "Alright, bear with me. Each Multiverse is arranged by the worlds that make it up. For instance: there is a Multiverse made up entirely of alternate versions of your world, with one original version at the theoretical center. Some worlds are closer to ones from other Multiverses. However, no matter how close two worlds might be, there is a tiny gap between them. Inside that infinitesimal space, there exists an entire potential universe, waiting to be tapped, outside the sight or knowledge of any gods. And, for a time, it was the place I called home."

Naruto asked, "For a time?"

"Well, I still consider it my home. Among the Gormim, the members are divided into houses depending on what sort of abilities they have. For instance, a Gorem with water abilities would belong to the Souse family. When I joined, because of my unique abilities, I was put in a house of my own; the Blacklight house. My problem was, I had no one else with me, which left me all alone. Sure, the other families were friendly to me, but I wanted someone who I could call a family member. So I left, vowing not to return until I found someone who would join my house. The problem was that my own abilities were one of a kind; no matter how much I looked, I could not find a person who qualified to join me. And they would have to have my kind of powers in order to do so. But I persisted; I thought that, in the infinite amount of worlds out there, there would be 'the one,' even if it took me an eternity to find it."

Tentatively, Naruto asked, "So, does that mean you're not on good terms with the clan?"

Alex frowned, thinking. "No, I'm still on good terms." He said finally, "I still keep in contact with Storia. And while I was traveling, I was also doing my job as a Gorem: collecting whatever form of power I could come across. Yes, Kina-chan?"

Kina had put up her hand, "You said you would search for eternity...how old are you exactly?"

Alex thought for a moment. "Hmm...I'd say thirty-four thousand years by my time, give or take." He noticed the look of shock on Naruto and Kina's faces, "What? I'm a living virus, of course I'm not going to age."

_That...sort of makes sense..._ Thought Naruto, sweatdropping slightly.

Alex suddenly blinked and looked around, alarmed. "Holy shit, look at the time. I've been talking for too long. You need to get out of here!"

(Real world)

Naruto jerked, not having expected the transition between his mindscape and the real world to be so sudden. Groaning, he stood up, stretching. Looking around, he noticed the large amount of clones he had made still training. _What are they doing anyway, Alex?_ He asked inwardly.

_This._ Alex released some of the memories of the clones that had dispelled.

Naruto's eyes bulged at some of the instructions that Alex had given the clones. They looked immensely difficult. _You want me to learn all of this in a week! Isn't that asking a bit much?_

_Not really._ Alex replied simply, _You've got hundreds of clones getting it down at the moment and anything they learn, you do. At this rate, getting it in a week won't be much of a problem._

Not entirely convinced, Naruto thought of some of the techniques his clones were training in. Walking up trees without hands. Making oneself unnoticeable; that wouldn't be so tough if it weren't for the fact that he was still wearing bright orange, which was as not-unnoticeable as you could get.

_Don't be pessimistic! You'll be fine. Now go on, you should practice your stealth._

Sighing, Naruto walked over to the edge of the forest, where his stealth-practicing clones were situated. When one of the clones noticed him, it ran over to him and explained what they were doing: one clone would try to move through the forest without being spotted by any of the others. This was also used by the seeking clones as an opportunity to train their chakra detection skills. If one of the clones managed to see the hiding one, it would dispel, alerting all the others of the discovery. Naruto told the clone that he would be taking over the position of hiding. The doppelganger nodded and vanished in a puff of smoke. A few seconds later, Naruto received a slight pulse of memories as the hidden clone dispelled itself. Grimly, he jumped into the trees and began hopping from branch to branch, stopping occasionally to make sure no one saw him. After a few minutes of this, however, he received a surge of memories as a clone caught sight of him and dispelled. He swore quietly and another one poofed. This time he bit back the curse, and instead tried one of techniques Alex had suggested. Concentrating, he imagined all the chakra in his system flowing inwards. As the chakra moved towards the center of his body, his limbs felt hollow and cold. Finally, the chakra stopped, packed into a tight ball. Quickly, he summoned a small amount of biomass and wrapped it around the ball of chakra.

_Good. You remembered what I said about biomass being invisible to chakra senses._ Said Alex approvingly. Since it was taking a lot of Naruto's concentration to make sure the compressed chakra didn't explode (he didn't think the biomass would hold it back sufficiently), he didn't answer. Instead, hoping to test his apparent chakra-sense-invisibility, he hopped over to a nearby branch, wobbling slightly. It seemed to work, but for some reason, without chakra in his system, he felt oddly fragile and weak, with a large lump in his chest which made balancing slightly difficult. He scowled; he _would_ get the hang of this. He focused on another branch, this one further away. He bent his legs, preparing a bigger jump to compensate for his chakra-deprived weakness. He leapt...

*BONK*  
*WHAM*

His jump had been too short. Instead of landing feet first on top the branch, the side of it collided painfully with his forehead. The resultant daze kept him from trying to grab another branch in recovery. Consequently, he fell all the way to the forest floor, landing hard on his back and getting the air knocked out of him. There he lay, flat on his back, close to unconsciousness and unable to draw breath. A clone that had heard the thud of his landing came running.

"Hey, you alright?" The clone asked tentatively. Naruto said nothing. He just lay there, his mouth wide open, trying desperately to breathe. The lack of air plus the headache from bashing his skull on the tree branch both conspired to eventually cause him to black out. As darkness gathered at the end of his vision, he had one last thought.

_This is gonna be a long week._

He could have sworn he heard Alex give a guilty chuckle.

AN: There we go, chapter 6 done. Has anyone noticed that Alex is rather longwinded? I wonder where he got that from...*looks at sister* Hm...

What do you think of the surrounding chakra with biomass technique? The explanations of the various energies? Alex's back-story?

The part where Alex holds a newspaper and yells 'shut up' is from a video on YouTube  
link: http:/www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=iHf0PLdQA08  
watch it. The guy does great work.

If you want a more detailed explanations of the Gormim, there is a description of them on my author page, or PM me if you have any questions. As for the Gormim themselves: yes, Fuoca Terme is Italian. I just think that it makes her cuter that way. She will be one of the Gorem to go to Konoha, though she will not be participating in the Chunin exams. Also, the poll stands thusly:

Glass/Living art (female) 15  
Metal (male) 11  
Technology (male) 11  
Ice (male) 5  
Lightning (male) 4  
Wind (male) 4  
Sound (female) 3  
Stone (female) 2

Keep up the voting!

For future reference, the symbol on Alex's neck is his version of the Gormim mark, the Negative Infinity.

So then, that's it. Review, vote, and read my sister's story, it's great.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: One chapter posted and already I'm writing the next one. Damn, I'm on a roll!  
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Prototype.  
Edit: Damn it! Stupid Doc. Manager won't let me underline! Just to let you know, Jutsus and techniques are supposed to be underlined as well as bolded.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Jutsu/Technique (underlined)  
**

Chapter 7: Formations, introductions, and what you tell a friend

(Time-skip: One week later)

Naruto awoke with a suddenness that was becoming normal, if still annoying, to him. He quickly got dressed in his usual orange jumpsuit; Alex had insisted that he keep wearing it. 'If you can hide while wearing orange, you can hide anywhere.' He'd said. He had a point, but Naruto was starting to get really sick of his clones yelling 'Bull's-eye!' every time saw him. He reached back to pull up his hood, only to remember that he didn't have one.

_I really am turning into Alex._ He thought remotely, _Maybe I should get something with a hood. Alex probably won't mind me copying him._

_He probably wouldn't._ Agreed Kina, _He seems rather lax when it comes to people imitating him._

As Naruto set off for the academy, he kept his head down in order to hide his now mismatched eyes from the villagers. If they were seen, some idiot might get it into his or her head that the Kyuubi had gotten loose and was going to kill them all. Naruto tried to imagine Kina destroying anything. The resultant mental image had him chuckling under his breath, drawing a few dirty looks from the nearby populous.

* * *

He arrived at the academy on time. Upon finding the classroom and entering, the other new Genin stopped their chatter to stare at him. Predictably, Kiba was the first to speak up.

"Oi! What are you doing here, dobe? This class is for people who passed, not failures like you!"

Naruto, to everyone's surprise, stayed silent. He just raised his head and glared the overbearing Inuzuka in the face. Kiba took a nervous step backwards, the sight of Naruto's brown and blue eyes reminding him of the fear Naruto had inspired the previous week.

"That's what I thought." Growled Naruto irritably as Kiba backed up quickly. Then he reached up and tapped his hitai-ate, "I'm here 'cause I have this, mutt boy; haven't you ever heard of common sense? Geez..." stepping around the dog user, he began walking towards the back of the room. However, he suddenly stopped and looked at Akamaru, who was lying on the bench. "How do you stand him?"

The white puppy merely made a motion which might have been the dog equivalent of a shrug, causing Kiba to splutter indignantly. Smirking, Naruto walked over to where Hinata sat with her head on her arms. Noting an apparent aura of gloom hanging over her, Naruto sat down, sighing.

_Why is it,_ He asked his tenants, _That every time I see her, she's so miserable?_

_Maybe she's had a really crappy life._ Suggested Alex. There was none of the usual humor in his voice. _Why don't you ask her?_

Gently, Naruto poked Hinata's arm. "Hinata-chan?" He asked quietly.

For a moment, the girl didn't react. Then, slowly, she raised her head enough for him to see her face. From the wetness on her cheeks, she'd been crying again. Then she saw Naruto. A warm smile lit up her face as she stared at him. "Naruto-kun!" She cried. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Naruto was caught by surprise. Sure it'd been a week since the last time he'd seen her, but he didn't expect her to greet him so enthusiastically. After a moment she let go, blushing deeply. "G-gomenasai, Naruto-kun." She stammered. "It's j-just...I thought that I wouldn't g-get to see you any more after...t-that." She trailed off and looked away, hoping she hadn't made him angry by mentioning his failure.

A shadow crossed his face as he remembered the dark feeling of despair that had overtaken him at the prospect of never being able to become a ninja. Then he smiled, "Well, Hinata-chan." He said, prodding his headband proudly, "It turns out I was able to pass after all, so there's no need to worry."

"Ano...if-if you d-don't mind my asking..." She began timidly.

"Of course you can ask. What is it?"

"Um...h-how did you pass?" she asked quietly, "I-I mean," she said, seeing Naruto raising his eyebrow, "I th-thought that you c-couldn't retake the test. S-so how did-"

Naruto put his finger on Hinata's lips, effectively shutting her up as she blushed a deeper shade of red at the physical contact. "If you don't mind, I'll tell you later." He jerked his head at the rest of the class, which Hinata took to mean 'when no one is listening in.'

Finally getting a good look at her blond crush's face she gasped, "N-Naruto-kun, your eyes!"

Naruto blinked, and then nodded in realization. "Yeah, they're different. I'll explain that later also." He paused for a moment and then asked abruptly, "What do you think of them?" He didn't know why, but it seemed important that he know what her opinion.

She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment."W-well, their b-both yours, but they're both d-different. I l-like them." She said shyly.

At that moment, the sound of running feet came to their ears, along with the cries of "Out of my way, Ino-pig!" "Move it, Forehead!"

Naruto, as well as most of the males in the class, grimaced. It was Sasuke's top fangirls, Ino and Sakura. Things were about to become very loud. Both girls came bursting through the door, shouting "MADE IT!" at the top of their lungs. Then they both glared at each other.

"My foot made it through the door first, Ino-pig! I'm gonna sit next to Sasuke-kun!" Shouted Sakura angrily.

"Hell no, Forehead! The seat next to Sasuke-kun is _mine_!" Ino yelled back. She turned to Sasuke, who was still staring disinterestedly out the window, completely ignoring them. "Right, Sasuke-kun?" She asked sweetly.

Sasuke, who had only heard his name, looked around, scowling. "Hn?" He grunted.

The blond turned to Sakura, "See, he answered. He wants me to sit next him!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as another girl piped up. "Bullshit! I'm gonna sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

"No, I am!"

"No, me!"

The situation quickly deteriorated into some sort of brawl between almost every girl in the class as they began competing for the coveted seat next to Sasuke-kun who, as always, completely ignored his horde of admirers.

"They look like an avalanche, don't they?" Naruto asked Hinata casually.

Looking down at the fighting girls, Hinata giggled and nodded in agreement. Naruto smiled encouragingly at her, "You should laugh more often, Hinata-chan. It makes you look prettier."

Hinata blushed and ducked her head, which was fortunate, because a few seconds later a stray blunt kunai whistled over her head, thrown by one of the dueling fangirls below. Naruto's face became one of anger. How dare they attack his friend! This called for retribution!

_Hey,_ Alex's voice suggested mischievously, _It's been a while since you pranked someone. Hint hint._

_Good thinking, Alex._ Naruto thought, _I've got just the plan._ He put his hands up in the familiar cross-seal. **"Kage Bunshin."** He muttered. Hinata looked at him quizzically, having heard him mumble what sounded like a jutsu. A second later, two clones appeared. Naruto nodded to them and they walked down to the bench Sasuke sat at. Hinata was confused: why would Naruto create clones? From the look on his face, he had something devious planned, but how would ordinary bunshin help? Unless...

Hinata turned so that Naruto would not see her and made handseals of her own. **"Byakugan!"** She whispered, activating her clan's bloodline. Her vision expanded to observe the clones' chakra. She gasped. Both clones had the same amount of chakra in their systems as Naruto did! Hinata remembered reading about a jutsu that produced such an effect in her clan's library: The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. She watched as the clones reached the bench. With a tiny *poof*, one of the clones turned into a whoopee-cushion, which the other clone placed on the seat next to Sasuke...and then sat on. There was an enormous *PBBBBB...* as the air in the cushion was abruptly squeezed out. The abused sack quickly dispelled itself in the following silence. Both Naruto and the remaining clone winced as they received the memories of the sack being squashed.

The moment the cushion had gone off, everything had stopped. The fangirls had frozen mid-fight, staring stunned at the orange-clad boy in shock. The other members of the class, who had been entirely engrossed by the fight, swiveled their heads in unison to get a good look at the offender.

"What?" Asked 'Naruto' innocently.

Some of the boys shook their heads at the blond sympathetically. _He's in for it now._ They thought.

While his stunt _did_ shut the raving fangirls up, they were rapidly getting over their shock and becoming quite livid. The interloper had stolen their prize! They would make him pay. Before they could do more than gather for a charge, however, the door opened and Iruka-sensei entered.

"Eh?" Iruka looked around the room. "What's going on here?"

Sakura, rather predictably, was the first to answer. "Naruto-baka stole my seat!" She yelled pointing accusatorily at said 'baka.'

"Oh, that's bullshit!" Said the clone lazily, "You can't steal a seat that was empty to begin with. Dumb bitch." He muttered under his breath. Despite himself, Sasuke nodded in agreement, having been the only one to hear.

"What was that!" Asked Sakura furiously.

"Sakura!" Iruka said tiredly, "It doesn't matter who sits where, just sit down, all of you. Sakura, take the seat next to Naruto." When nobody moved, Iruka performed his patented 'Big head no Jutsu'. "NOW!" he roared.

The assembled fangirls scurried to their seats as Iruka stood in front of the blackboard. "Alright," He began, "The teams are as follows: Team 1..."

* * *

While Iruka was calling out who would be on which Genin team, Naruto leaned towards Hinata and whispered, "I'm hoping we end up on the same team. What say you, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata nodded fervently in agreement.

"Team 7," called Iruka, "Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha-"

"Ha, take that Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled, shaking her fist at her rival.

"And Naruto Uzumaki." Finished Iruka irritably, "Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

Sakura's victory cries changed to ones of horror. Both the fake Naruto and the real one smacked their heads on their respective desks. "Damn it!" They chorused.

Next to the real one, Hinata hung her own head in disappointment. It seemed she would not be together with her crush after all.

"Team 8 will consist of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga...and Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi."

"Shit!" Yelled Hinata, shocking everyone near her. They had never heard the shy heiress raise her voice before, let alone curse. Even Naruto looked surprised at her, but she didn't care at the moment. She was going to be paired with that dog! Shino she could stand, he was nice enough, even with his obsession with bugs. Kiba, on the other hand, would use this as an excuse to hit on her constantly and try to 'assert his dominance' on her. She was doomed. An aura of gloom descended over her again as she imagined being on the same team as that perverted dog-boy.

Tentatively, Naruto patted her on the shoulder. He had some idea of what she was thinking. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. You'll survive somehow."

Glumly, the dark-haired girl nodded in acknowledgement. Then a thought occurred to her. "Ano...N-Naruto-kun? W-when should we have our...t-talk, if we're n-not on the same team?"

"Team 9 is still in circulation." Iruka continued blithely, "Team 10 will be Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Chouji Akimichi. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully, and then said, decisively, "Well, after we meet our senseis, I'll come find you."

Hinata tilted her head at Naruto, her wide eyes reminding him forcibly of an owl. "W-why?"

"I dunno..." Naruto turned his eyes on the doorway, "I just have the feeling my sensei's not gonna be here for a while." Actually, Alex had told him that Kakashi Hatake was notoriously late to everything.

Just then, the door opened and a tall, black haired woman with red eyes and a dress made of bandages came in. "Team 8, come with me." She said abruptly. Hinata, Shino, and Kiba all stood up obediently and walked out of the room with her.

* * *

Soon, the other Jonin came to collect their Genin. Team 10 got picked up by a tall, bearded man with a cigarette. As they left, Ino shot one last scowl at Sakura, who stuck her tongue out.

"Real mature." Quipped the Naruto clone next to her, "Very befitting of a kunoichi."

The pinkette rounded on him. "Shut up, baka!" She yelled.

In answer, the clone stuck his tongue out, like Sakura had just done. She growled and looked ready to pound him, but a cough from Iruka made her remember herself. She looked around and realized that Team 7 was now alone in the classroom. "Um, Iruka-sensei?" She asked Iruka, "Why hasn't our sensei shown up?"

Iruka shook his head grimly, "Sorry to tell you, Sakura-chan, but you're going to be waiting for a while."

"You ditching us, Iruka?" Naruto asked, smirking, "I notice you said 'you.'"

The scarred Chunin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry Naruto-kun. I have other things that need doing..." He broke off, staring. He'd finally noticed that there was another Naruto was sitting at the back of the room. Iruka had no doubt that it was the real one, judging by the way the Kage Bunshin (because it couldn't be anything else) kept provoking Sakura. The real Naruto wouldn't be so stupid as to do something like that himself. The real Naruto caught his eye and grinned, putting a finger to his lips. Nonplussed, Iruka left without saying anything.

* * *

(Time-skip: 3 hours later)

Naruto sat slumped in his seat, bored out of his skull. It had been three hours, THREE HOURS, and their sensei had yet to show his face. To pass the time, Naruto had tried chatting with Alex. After clearing with him what was okay to tell Hinata when they had their talk, Naruto mentally went over what he had learned during the week. Some of the things he had definitely made progress in, such as chakra control and mastering the jutsu he'd learned from the Forbidden Scroll. Other things, however, still required some work; the stealth was coming along slowly, though using the biomass cloaking helped enormously.

Suddenly, an idea to break the monotony of the wait occurred to him. He stood and made his way over to the bench behind Sasuke, Sakura, and his own clone. Sitting down, he made few hand seals. **"Kage Bunshin, Henge."** He whispered, so quietly that the people in front of him could not hear. With a tiny puff of smoke, a brown paper bag appeared in his hand. He filled it with air and held the opening closed with one hand. As an afterthought, he sent a mental signal for the Bunshin in front of him to dispel. Sasuke and Sakura were so caught up in their boredom that they didn't notice the boy between them vanishing. Shaking his head at his teammates' carelessness, Naruto brought up his free hand and walloped the bag in the other one.

*BANG!*

Sasuke and Sakura nearly jumped out of their skins. In the total silence they had been waiting in, the noise was deafening. Both Genin whipped around, Sasuke with his kunai in his hand. They saw Naruto sitting in the bench behind them, holding the remains of a paper bag. "Just checking to see if you were still alive." He said brightly, the bag vanishing from his hand with a puff of smoke.

"How did you do that?" Asked Sasuke, "You were sitting next to us the whole time. And how'd you make the bag disappear?"

Naruto blinked, slightly surprised. "Well since you asked nicely, you've been sitting next to a Kage Bunshin the whole time."

Sasuke frowned, "A what?"

"Oh, that's right; you don't know what that is..." Naruto muttered to himself, "A Kage Bunshin is basically a solid clone that takes a lot of chakra to create. I've got chakra to spare, so that doesn't really matter to me."

Glowering, Sakura said, "So you've been somewhere else the whole time, with a copy taking up another seat? Why?"

"To spite you." Naruto said bluntly, smiling.

"That was my seat, dammit!" She exploded.

The orange-clad Genin held up two fingers. "First, it didn't have your name on it. Secondly," His face hardened, "You should have thought of that before you threw a kunai at Hinata-chan."

Before Sakura could ask him what he meant, the door opened. A man with gravity-defying silver hair peered in. He wore a Jonin vest and a mask that covered the lower part of his face. His headband was worn at an angle which hid his left eye

"Are you guys Team 7?" He asked lazily.

Before his teammates could say anything, Naruto said quickly, "No, they're in the next class over."

The man eye-frowned, "Oh, thanks." He shut the door again.

"Was that our sensei?" Asked Sakura.

"Yup."

"So why'd you chase him off!"

Sasuke suddenly frowned. "Wait...there is no next class over."

"Exactly." With another puff of smoke, a pie appeared in Naruto's hand. He hefted it, his eyes trained on the door with a hunter's intensity. "Let's see how long it'll take him to figure that out." He said evilly.

Sasuke's own eye twitched at the pie the blond carried. "Where'd you get that?"

"It's a henged Kage Bunshin." Said Naruto evenly, never taking his eyes off the door. Suddenly, he hurled the pie at it.

As the baked good flew through the air, the door was opened once more by the silver haired man. "Hey, wait a min-" He began.

*Splat*

The pie hit him directly in the face, sticking for a moment before sliding off, leaving the Jonin completely splattered with the innards of the pie, his one eye wide open in shock.

Naruto threw back his head and howled with laughter. Their sensei looked ridiculous! Even Sasuke snickered at the sight. Sakura, on the other hand, looked horrified.

The Jonin's face now looked murderous. "There are no words," He hissed venomously, "That can describe my hatred for you three. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." He vanished in a blast of smoke as he **Shunshined**.

"Guess he doesn't like banana cream." Said Naruto. Then he burst out laughing again.

* * *

(5 minutes later)

The three Genin stood facing their sensei, shaking. Naruto shook from still-suppressed laughter. Sakura shook from fear of what the Jonin might do to them. Sasuke felt a combination of both.

The silver-haired man was silently fuming. First his students had tricked him into going the wrong way, and then the blond one had hit him with a _pie_ of all things. He hadn't even had time to react, it had been so sudden. Still, the timing with which the boy had thrown the pastry was impressive. Plus it had dissolved into smoke when he'd tried to clean it off, so no lasting harm was done.

"Alright," The three students stilled at the sound of his voice, "Let's go around and introduce ourselves."

Sakura put her hand up.

"Yes?" The Jonin asked shortly.

"Um...how do we do that?" She asked nervously.

He gave her a deadpan stare with his single eye. _She seriously has to ask that?_ "Just say your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams. I'll go first: My name Kakashi Hatake, my likes are...I don't really have that many dislikes...My hobbies aren't for your ears...dreams for the future? Never thought of that..."

_All he really told us was his name._ Thought the rest of team 7, sweatdropping as one.

"Right, you go next, pinky." Said Kakashi, pointing at Sakura.

Sakura twitched at the jab at her hair color. "Um, okay. My name is Sakura Haruno; my likes include Sasuke-kun," She shot an adoring look at Sasuke, who grimaced. Then she scowled, "My dislikes are Ino-pig and Naruto-baka!"

"Not to break your heart, but I'm not too fond of you either." The blond shot back flatly.

Sakura sputtered for a moment before continuing, "Well, my hobbies...my dreams include..." She stared dreamily at Sasuke, giggling.

_Great,_ Kakashi thought dismally, _Just what I need; a fangirl._ "Okay..." He said out loud. He pointed at Sasuke, who looked quite disturbed, "You're up, Grumpy-san."

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut as if to deny the existence of such a horrible nickname. He had no such luck. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha," He said finally, "I don't really have many likes, except maybe tomatoes."

Naruto snickered quietly.

"My dislikes are too numerous to list, though they include pushy fangirls." Sasuke carried on, "And my dream, no..." His expression darkened, "My ambition is to find and kill a certain man, after which I guess I'll have to revive my clan."

_Well, _somebody_ loves melodrama._ Alex muttered, though only Naruto heard.

_An avenger, huh?_ Kakashi thought. He looked at Naruto, "Alright, you with the heterochromia, it's your turn."

"Heterochromia?" Naruto muttered to himself.

_He means your eyes._

_Oh, right._ He looked up, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki; my likes are ramen, pulling pranks, and Hinata-chan." The others looked at him in surprise at the last one.

_Hinata Hyuuga?_ Thought Sakura, _I didn't know he even knew her. Though that explains what he said before._

"My dislikes," He continued, "Are vegetables, killjoys, people that give us perverts a bad name..."

Kakashi resisted the urge to duck his head guiltily while Sakura looked askance at the boy. He ignored her.

"And finally, I hate people who decide to take the law into their own hands. They think they know better, but they really don't."

_Does he mean the villagers?_ Kakashi thought apprehensively, his eye narrowing suspiciously at Naruto, who went on, not noticing the concern he had caused his sensei.

"My hobbies are training; trying to figure out what I can do and what my limits are. My dream is to become Hokage, though I'm not really sure how I'm gonna get there yet." He finished, looking serious.

There was a long silence, following these last words.

_Not sure? What does he mean?_ Kakashi thought. _It seems this team is made of a fangirl, a broody avenger, and a jinchuuriki with an agenda. I wonder if they'll make it._ "Alright you guys, it's a bit late in the day, so you can go home now. Report to Training Ground 7 at 8:00 tomorrow for some special...survival training. And don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw up." With that, he **Shunshined** away, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

After a moment Naruto said irritably, "Well, _that_ was informative." He looked at his two teammates, "You guys going to listen to him about the breakfast?"

"Baka!" Said Sakura angrily, "He just told us not to!"

"I won't skip breakfast." Sasuke stated, "A ninja needs food to function properly. If we're going to be doing 'survival training,' we'll need to be at our strongest."

"Agreed," Naruto nodded. He went up to the railing at the edge and made some handseals, molding both chakra and biomass. **"Ninpou: Karasu Teisatsu no Jutsu!" (Ninja art: Crow Scout Jutsu)** With a blast of smoke, a large crow with green eyes appeared on the railing, staring at Naruto intently. "Go look for Hinata-chan, alright? Send word when you've found her."

The crow bobbed its head in assent and took off. Naruto turned to see Sasuke and Sakura staring at him. "What?"

"What was that jutsu?" Sasuke asked suspiciously, "I've never heard of one like that before."

"Oh, it's just a henged Kage Bunshin with a different name." Naruto lied. In reality, the only similarities the jutsu had with the Kage Bunshin was that the crow could dispel and send its memories back to its creator.

"That jutsu seems pretty useful." Sasuke said, partly to himself. It might help him in his fight against _him!_ "Would you teach it to me, please?" He asked.

Naruto felt Alex reeling in shock in his mind.

_Whoa!_

_What is it?_ Naruto asked. Very little could fully shock the first Blacklight.

_Sasuke asked _nicely!

_So? What's so surprising about that?_

_You don't get it; in most versions of your world I've been to, whenever Sasuke has asked to learn something from you, he's always been a real dick about it, and throws a fit when you refuse._

_So, what do I do here?_

_Oh, you'll have to refuse also. Just tell him why you can't; I'm sure he'll understand.  
_

Naruto became aware that his teammates were staring at him, still waiting for him to answer. He shook his head. "Sorry Sasuke, but I can't do that."

Sasuke scowled, "Care to explain why?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes." Naruto said simply, "The jutsu takes your chakra reserves and splits it between you and every clone you make. If you make two clones, you each have one third of your chakra. If you overuse it, you could die from the drain."

Sasuke's eyes widened at this legitimate reason. Sakura's voice chose this moment to rear its head.

"If that's the case, then how come _you_ keep using it? Huh?" She screeched, pointing at the heterochromic blond triumphantly.

Unfortunately for her, he had a response ready, "Because I have retardedly huge reserves." He grunted, "I can make hundreds without feeling the drain, which is why I always sucked at making normal Bunshin." At that moment, Naruto received a pulse of memories from his crow. It seemed that Hinata was waiting in the park. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." With that, he set his foot on the rail and jumped off. As he fell, he heard Sakura shriek with horror. Smirking, he filled his body with biomass so that, when he struck the ground, his legs barely felt the impact, although the road now had a pair of small craters where his feet had sunk into them. In an instant he was off, running at a great speed towards the park, where his dark-haired friend was.

Sasuke leaned over the railing, watching the orange blur streaking off. No Genin, he thought, could move that fast. Neither should a Genin be able to create thousands of clones, if the dobe was telling the truth. _What are you...Naruto Uzumaki?_

* * *

(Secluded part of forest, near park)

Naruto slowed down as he neared his destination. Up ahead, he saw Hinata seated on a bench. Since he was still in a mischievous mood after dealing with his sensei, he stopped and focused. His chakra flowed inwards and became trapped by a sphere of biomass. He remembered Alex telling him that all people subconsciously used their chakra senses when dealing with other people. If someone were to completely cut off their chakra signature, like he was doing now, even if they were in full view of another person, that person's brain might not recognize them because it couldn't detect their chakra signature. He might as well be invisible now. Quietly, he crept up behind the girl. She did not react in the slightest, except to give a deep sigh. Curious, he walked around to the front and crouched down to look her in the face. She looked very depressed.

_Maybe she thinks you won't be showing up._ Suggested Kina.

_But I am here._ Naruto said sharply. Judging from the fact that, despite the fact she was looking directly down at him, she was still not reacting, therefore, she could not see him at all. "Hinata-chan?" He asked.

Hinata blinked and looked up, over his head. "W-what...?" She murmured, "I th-thought I heard N-Naruto-kun, b-but no one's there." She put her face in her hands, "Maybe I imagined it," she muttered to herself, "M-maybe I j-just imagined that he b-became my friend. After all, who would w-want to be f-friends with such a failure?" She shook as she spoke, as if the words hurt her. "That must be why he hasn't come; I must have imagined that he wanted to tell me something."

Unable to take any more, Naruto stood, releasing the cloaking technique. "You didn't imagine it, Hinata-chan." He said softly.

The Hyuuga gasped. To her, the object of her affection had appeared out of thin air, looking serious. "N-Naruto-kun!"

He took a seat on the bench next to her. "Why do you think I wouldn't want to be your friend? Who says that you're a failure, Hinata?"

Hinata tried to speak, but no sound came from her mouth. Instead, she felt the burning of tears in her eyes, which she tried desperately to wipe away. "Ooh..." She moaned quietly, the tears flowing faster. "Why d-do I keep c-crying when I'm around you? You must think I'm r-really w-weak..."

"No, I don't!" Naruto protested fiercely. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Why do you keep saying that you're weak! You're one of the nicest people I've met, and I've only known you for a few days, so that's saying something! Being nice doesn't make you weak, so who's telling you that you are? Who is making you cry?"

For a few moments, she stared at him, her tears having stopped from shock. Then, haltingly, she began to tell her about how her family prided themselves on being emotionless killing machines and that, since she was no such thing, they called her weak and a failure. How her father degraded her when she slipped up even a little in her training. She told him that her father forced her to fight her sister, how her sister always won because Hinata held herself back to avoid hurting her.

Naruto listened intently, growing angrier with the girl's family with every word she spoke about them. This girl was treated almost as horribly by them as he was treated by the rest of the village!

Finally, she told him about the division between the Branch and Main houses. "The Main house treats the Branch like slaves; it's sickening!" She told him passionately, "But the Branch can't do anything because of a seal that the Main house puts on their head. If the Branch house members try to revolt, the Main house can kill them instantly!" She shook her head. "Why can't we just live as one family, the way it's supposed to be?"

Naruto shrugged. "I can't help you there, Hinata." He said regretfully. He couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed that he couldn't help her. Although..."But I do have something for you to think of, if they ever call you weak again. If you fail because you can't use their skills, make your own. Don't make their strengths limit yours."

Hinata looked at him in astonishment. He was asking her to disregard her family's traditions! Still, he had a point. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'll k-keep that in mind." She said. Now that she had told him her problems, she felt lighter, as if her burdens had been lessened. Then she remembered something, "Ano...but w-we didn't come here to t-talk about me."

"Eh?" Was Naruto's intelligent answer. What had they come here for?

"You w-were going to t-tell me how you passed." Hinata prompted. Her stutter seemed to have improved slightly.

"Oh! Right!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Where do I start...?" _Alex,_ He thought, _What do I tell her?_

_Tell her everything._ Alex replied seriously, _She has been completely truthful with you so far. If you consider her a friend, you should do the same._

_If you say so._ Naruto thought dubiously. "Well," He began, "After I failed the test and had my breakdown, soon after you left, I was approached by Mizuki."

"M-Mizuki-sensei?" Hinata asked, surprised, "What did he want?"

"He told me that there was another test, a hidden one that, if I passed it, I would definitely be made a ninja. Obviously, I agreed instantly."

"W-what was the test?"

"I had to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Secrets from the Hokage's office and learn a technique from it."

"The...the F-Forbidden Scroll?" Hinata asked faintly. She'd heard the scroll mentioned before by her father. "B-but isn't it supposed to be heavily g-guarded?"

"Is it?" Naruto asked unconcernedly, "It wasn't too difficult to grab the thing."

Hinata felt admiration for Naruto. He must be skilled if he-

"I just used the Oiroke no Jutsu on the old man. Bam! Out like a light." Naruto continued, causing the Hyuuga girl to face-fault.

_Of course..._ She thought ruefully.

"Anyway, once I had the scroll, I ran to where I was supposed to meet Mizuki. When I got there, I started trying to learn one of the jutsus from the scroll."

"And d-did you?" Asked Hinata curiously.

In answer, Naruto raised his hands and made a seal by crossing the middle and index fingers of his hands. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** He called. Instantly, two more Narutos appeared.

_There are three Narutos_... Hinata thought, blushing as she tried to keep any perverted thoughts out of her head. It didn't work.

"I learned this." The boy explained, as the clones dispersed, "Not only are Kage Bunshin solid, anything they learn is transferred to me once they dispel, which helps a great deal when training."

Hinata nodded, "S-so you learned it, then what?"

"Then Iruka-sensei came. He was kinda pissed and didn't seem to know about the test. Then Mizuki arrived and started throwing shuriken at us. It turned out he was just using me so that he could steal the scroll for himself before killing me."

"But w-why would he do that?" Hinata asked, horrified.

Naruto's face became serious again. "Before I tell you," He began, "You need to know that this is a pretty big secret, S-ranked, in fact. It's also the reason I'm one of the most hated people in Konoha. If you tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_, you would be killed for treason. I can tell you because it's about me, but you won't be able to tell anyone. So do you want to hear it?"

Hinata looked down, reeling on the inside. Naruto was entrusting her with such a big secret...but if it was for him, she would do it. It wasn't as if she had anyone to tell it to. Except maybe Hanabi, but it wouldn't be too difficult to not tell her. She looked back at Naruto determinedly. Naruto was slightly taken aback by the look in her eyes. "Naruto-kun...I swear that I will never tell another person your secret." She said without stuttering.

After a moment, Naruto nodded. "Mizuki told me that, on the night of the Kyuubi attack, the Yondaime did not kill it. Instead, He sealed away." He felt a wave of guilt from Kina.

"S-sealed? W-where did he seal it?" Hinata started to ask. Then she remembered what he had said about the secret being about him. "Did he...did he seal it inside...you?" She asked tentatively.

Naruto looked down sadly. "Yeah. I'm the container of the Kyuubi no Yoko." His fists clenched tightly as he spoke, "I...I'll understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore."

Hinata stared at him for a moment as he looked away. Even with his words of understanding, she could see that he would be hurt badly if she left. She reached over and hugged him.

"Hinata?" He asked, shocked.

Hinata remained silent, and then said softly, "I could never hate you, Naruto-kun, not even if you were the Kyuubi itself. You treated me as a friend, when you didn't even know me. I will stay by your side, no matter what."

Naruto was touched by this. "Thank you, Hinata." He said quietly, "But there's still more to tell you." He told her about defeating Mizuki and Iruka giving Naruto his headband, meaning that he was now a Genin. Then the Hokage had arrived and taken them back to his office, where Naruto had gone on a rant to the old man about having kept the Kyuubi's existence a secret from him.

_And so he should be angry!_ Hinata thought approvingly. Through the years of her...observing the object of her desire, she had seen the coldness with which he had been treated by the villagers. If anyone had the right to yell at the Hokage, it should be Naruto, for the way he'd suffered.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, breaking Hinata's train of thought, "After I calmed down a bit, I convinced Jiji to tell me who my parents were."

"You d-did? Who were they?" She asked.

"Well, my mother was a woman from Uzushiogakure, wherever that is, and a Jonin of this village. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki."

"And who was your f-father?"

"The Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

The nonchalance of this statement sounded almost comical in the resulting silence. Hinata's brain had gone into shock; Naruto-kun was the son of the Yondaime! How could anybody treat him with such disrespect if he was descended from such a hero? "N-Naruto-kun, do any of the villagers know about th-this?"

Naruto thought, frowning. "No, I don't think so." He said, "Jiji probably had that info suppressed or something. Moving on, after that I went home, fell asleep, and woke up in a sewer."

"N-nani?" Hinata asked, completely confused.

Naruto laughed, "Well, it looked a lot like a sewer. It was a tunnel, at any rate. So I walked down it and came out into a huge room at the end. Inside was a man with a black hood and a fox-girl."

"W-who were they?"

"The guy's name was Alex Mercer and the girl's name was Kina."

Hinata raised a thin eyebrow. "Alex?"

"Yeah, it's an odd name, but apparently where he comes from, it's pretty normal." And so Naruto retold to the blue-haired girl what he had discussed with the man, the revelation that the fox-girl was actually the Kyuubi (something that, in hindsight, was pretty obvious), Alex's own story, and finally, the fact that Naruto would become a shapeshifter that would eat people.

At the end, Hinata sat there, processing the incredible story that the orange-clad boy had just told her. Not only was he the container of the most powerful demon in existence, but he was also the container of a shapeshifter that was thousands of years old, both of which had pretty much sworn their allegiance to him. She felt a sort of pride as she thought of how far he would go in the ninja world.

"Hinata-chan?" Sounded Naruto's voice. Hinata looked around; it seemed she had gotten to her feet while she was thinking.

"H-hai, Naruto-kun?" She asked shyly.

"I-I know this is a lot to take in but...could you please keep the last part secret? It's something that not even Jiji knows about, and Alex doesn't want anyone to know yet. Also, if the council gets wind of my becoming some sort of super-powered killing machine, they'd have me executed on the spot."

Hinata nodded immediately, smiling. "I already t-told you, Naruto-kun; I will not tell anyone y-your secret until you say it's okay." She clenched a fist over her heart. "I w-will never b-betray your trust."

Naruto's eyes widened at the Hyuuga girl's words. This girl knew the whole truth about him, but she still worried about him trusting her. She still wanted to be his friend. A warm feeling spread through his chest that had nothing to do with chakra.

* * *

(At Storia's library)

Storia took his hands off the crystal ball and stood up to leave. "Well, that seems as good of a place to leave it as any." He muttered to himself. Deciding to take a look at one of the books on his shelves to see what was there, he ambled in amongst them. He was bound to find a good one somewhere...

After a few minutes of searching, however, he came across a person standing by one of the shelves, reading a paperback. The person wore green, loose-fitting clothes. His blond hair was cut very short, with a few strands sticking out at odd angles, like antennae. The young man looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Oh hello, Storia! What are you doing here?"

Storia resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I happen to work here, Nord. On that note, what are _you_ doing here? I never pegged you as the scholarly type."

"If you spent more time with the rest of the groups, you'd have more info to peg me with." The blond retorted lightly, smirking.

The old Spellwright grimaced. "If they're like that bitch Grace and that neat-freak Mason, I'll pass on that."

"Nah, they're alright. Sure, Carlos is a bit of a shut-in and Morris never leaves his cave...and I'm pretty sure Colt is secretly a voyeur. I mean, why else would he keep popping up in the-"

"Your choices in friends aside, Baro, you still haven't answered my question: why are you here?" Storia interrupted, frustratedly. _Good god, I know he's an aeromancer, but that shouldn't make him _this_ much of an air-head!_

Nord sighed. "The word on the breeze is that Blair is looking for some people to take into one of the worlds. Since I also know that Mason sent her here, I came to find her and try to get on the list."

Storia studied him for a moment. One part of his mind was tempted to send Nord entirely the wrong way toward Blair as a joke. The larger part, the Narrating part that did as the Plot commanded, told him to do something else. "Spoiler alert, Nord: I'm the one who told Blair to do that. Even if she doesn't know it yet, she's gathering a Genin team to take to one of the Naruto-verses. However, I have an offer for you."

"Really?" Nord's gray-green eyes widened, and Storia could have sworn that the strands of his hair leaned towards him. "Do tell."

Storia took a breath, braced for a wave of excitement. "I want you to become the team's Jonin-sensei." He said quickly.

Nord's eyes widened further and he grinned, showing a mouth full of triangular, sharp teeth. "Excellent." He breathed, "I've always wanted to be a sensei. When should we start?"

Storia leaned back. With the look of insanity on the aeromancer's face, as well as the close proximity to those teeth, Storia feared for the safety of his nose. "Not for a while, although there is something you could do right now."

"What is it?" Nord asked.

"For god's sake, change your teeth back!" Storia shouted, positively creeped out by now. "You look like a demented shark, and that hair isn't helping much."

Nord ducked his head guiltily. "Ah, sorry. Got carried away." As he spoke, his teeth shrank back into normal human ones. Then he frowned. "And my hair is fine, thank you."

"It looks like your younger sister went mad with the scissors and missed a few spots. Either that, or you've got a whole colony of giant moths on your head."

The younger man spluttered for a moment before turning and walking off in a huff, into a passage of shelves.

"Was that really necessary?" Asked a voice.

"Quite." Replied Storia absently, staring thoughtfully after his conversational companion. Then he looked down at the speaker.

It was a medium sized gargoyle, in the shape of a large stone frog with a long tail and dog ears. There were a few books tucked under its arm.

"Organization, right?" Storia asked, referring to what the gargoyle was doing, "I'll be happy to take one of those off your hands."

The construct shrugged and obligingly handed him a book. "Suit yourself. Less work for me, anyhow." So saying, it trundled off.

The gray haired man glanced at the book and then walked over to a chair to read it. With all the work coming his way, he would have to treasure these breaks when he could.

* * *

AN: Well, that's another one down. I had wanted to finish it by the end of the vacation, but I got distracted too much. Ah, well.

And so we meet another Gorem: Nord Baro. Since he is confirmed as the sensei of the Genin team, his element, wind, shall be removed from the poll. The other names mentioned were the names of other Gormim: Grace Ghiaccio, Mason Gloma, Carlos Binario, Colt Souse, and Morris Nocturne. If you wish to know who and what they are, please PM me. Also, the Gargoyle is a reference to the book Spellwright, the world of which Storia draws his own powers from. And before you start on me about how the names are not Japanese, the Gormim are not part of the Naruto-verse and therefore they are not bound by its rules, leaving me free to give them the names I deem fitting.

What do you think of the crow technique that Naruto used? It's one of the few techniques that I made up, being a combination of chakra and biomass. I've been trying to think of other applications of this combination (properties, how it would affect normal jutsu, unique jutsu that can be performed etc.) as well as combinations of biomass/youki and youki/normal chakra, but I haven't been able to come up with anything. If you have an idea, please PM me, I would greatly appreciate it.

NaruHina-ness: I know it might be going a little fast, so I'll try to slow it down a bit. No guarantees though.

The poll stands thusly:

Glass/Living art (female) 18 (wow)  
Metal (male) 14  
Technology (male) 12  
Ice (male) 6  
Lightning (male) 5  
Sound (female) 3  
Stone (female) 2

Keep it up! :)

Also, be sure to review!

Next time: Bells and strategies, all for some lunch.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Okay, new chapter, coming up. Let's go.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being _  
**(underlined) Jutsu/Technique being used**

Chapter 8: Teamwork and a spar gone horribly wrong

(Next morning)

Naruto strolled into Training Ground 7, grinning broadly. The memory of Hinata's words still filled him with immense happiness. _'I don't care if you were the Kyuubi itself...I will stay by your side...I will never betray you.'_

_Is this what having a friend is like?_ He wondered.

_I wouldn't know. I don't really remember the other Bijuu that well, and the other minor demons just ran away for fear of being killed by me._ Kina replied.

Alex, on the other hand, had a different answer. _Yeah, it is. It's also the feeling of knowing a person's complete loyalty and devotion.__ And their love._ He thought, keeping the last bit from reaching Naruto. The boy was not ready to hear about the girl's true feelings for him just yet. _Although, he might have some idea of it already. He's not a total dumbass._

Naruto became aware of the presence of his teammates. The two of them were staring apprehensively at him; he realized he was still grinning. The expression quickly slid off his face. "Er...hi!" He said brightly, "When did you get here?"

Sakura drooped in annoyance. "We've been here the whole time, baka! You're late!" she snapped. She looked at Sasuke adoringly, "Right, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

Sasuke made a suffering face at Naruto, who just chuckled.

"You're in a good mood." The Uchiha noted, "I would have expected some blistering retort about timing."

The heterochromic boy snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that!" He exclaimed. He smirked at Sakura. "You may be on time, but our sensei has yet to show his face. Who's the bigger baka, the one who follows what sensei says, or the one who knows his habits?" Having delivered his rebuttal, he walked over to the training posts. He noticed that one had a sizable dent in it, about the size of a fist. _This must be the training ground I was using before._ He thought. He sat down, knowing it would be a while before Kakashi got his shit together.

(One hour later)

Kakashi arrived in a **Shunshin.** "Yo-" He began. *Snap* "Argh!" He'd Shunshined directly onto a bear trap. Sasuke and Sakura both stared at it, then at Naruto.

_When did he put that there?_ They thought.

After a few moments of Kakashi extricating himself from the steel jaws (they were not very tight so it was easy), he took up position by the training posts.

"Right then," He began, "We're going to be having our Genin test in a moment-"

"Hang on!" Naruto interrupted spectacularly, "What are you talking about; we already took our Genin test! What gives?"

Kakashi's eye twitched. "I was getting to that." He growled, "The test you took was just to see if you had the potential to take the real test. If you pass this, you will truly become Genin."

Naruto groaned. _Why am I not surprised. It seems that there's always one more step to becoming a ninja._

_Mah, don't worry! You'll blaze through this with no problem!_ Kina said bracingly, sending him a mental thumbs-up.

_Yeah, but be careful. There is another meaning to this test. Don't expect your sensei to fill you in on it, though._ Alex cautioned.

_Got it._ Naruto replied. He returned his attention to his sensei, who had pulled out a pair of bells and was showing them to his students.

"This is your test. You must find a way to take these bells from me."

Sakura raised her hand. "But sensei, there are only two bells."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Think of it as incentive: the person who doesn't get a bell will be tied to the post and won't get any lunch."

_That must be why he told us not to have breakfast._ Sasuke thought.

"Also," Kakashi continued, "The loser will be sent back to the academy. If you want any chance of defeating me, you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill. You have until 12:00." His eye-smile turned sinister, "Good luck."

In an instant, Naruto charged at his sensei, a kunai in his hand. He made a dive at the silver haired man, but in a blur of speed Kakashi stood behind the blond, pinning him in place by holding his arm tightly.

"Mah, mah, I didn't say 'go' yet." The one-eyed Jonin admonished mockingly.

Naruto snorted and whipped around with surprising strength, breaking the man's grip on his arm with little trouble. "I didn't think it would matter if we were supposed to go for the kill."

Kakashi chuckled evilly. "Fine then. Begin."

Sasuke and Sakura immediately leaped away, disappearing almost instantly. Naruto, however, stayed facing Kakashi. "You know, most people would have run away and set traps by now."

"Yeah well, I'm not in the mood to do that." Naruto said lazily. Keeping one eye closed, he glared at Kakashi with his brown eye. "Besides, how am I going to get a bell if I just run away? While those other two might get sent back to the academy if they fail, I won't. Last time was my last chance; _this_ is my last chance, and I will pass it, no matter what!" With that, he ran at Kakashi again, faster this time. Kakashi barely had time to dodge as Naruto took wild swings at him with his kunai. Seeing an opportunity, he caught one of the blond boy's punches. He quickly realized what a mistake that was; the fists felt like hammers.

_What kind of strength does this boy have?_ Kakashi thought. Perhaps it had been a mistake to hold back...he vanished in a blur of speed. "You shouldn't turn your back on the enemy." His voice lectured from behind Naruto.

The boy turned his head and saw his sensei crouched behind him; his hands placed in the Tora seal.

"Konoha Secret Taijutsu," Kakashi intoned darkly, **"Sennen Goroshi!"** At this, he jabbed the fingers that were still held in the seal into Naruto's orange-clad behind.

There was a long pause, then, "GYAAAAH!" Naruto leaped high into the air, hands clasped to his backside in pain. _Log damn it, I did not become a ninja in order to be ass-raped by my sensei!_ He hollered at Alex. There was no response.

Meanwhile, in the trees, Sasuke and Sakura watched in confusion.

"Secret taijutsu?" Sakura asked herself, "He just poked him."

Kakashi watched as his wayward student writhed in pain on the ground. "First lesson: Taijutsu." He said.

Naruto glared up at him and climbed laboriously to his feet. "You really shouldn't have done that." He growled. He ran at Kakashi, reaching for the bells; but Kakashi was ready for him. He grabbed the boy's hand, stopping it before it reached them. Naruto merely grinned and began to glow.

_Oh shit._ Kakashi thought.

**"Bunshin Daibakuha!"** There was a flash of light and the Kage Bunshin erupted with the force of an exploding tag. In the resultant fireball, the silver-haired Jonin vanished, revealing that he too was a Kage Bunshin.

"W-what!" Sakura gasped. If that sensei was a fake, then the real one could be nearby! She dashed off into the trees, looking over her shoulder for the Jonin.

In some part of the forest, Naruto winced as the clone's memories hit him. _Ugh, that was painful. Note to self: never let Kakashi get in that position._ He sighed; _Looks like it'll be pretty difficult to get those bells on my own. I should have known I couldn't take on a Jonin by myself._

_Then why don't you round up your teammates?_ Alex suggested, _If you work together, the three of you might stand a chance._

_Got it._ Naruto raised his hands and made two seals **"Ninpou: Karasu Teisatsu!"** A green-eyed crow appeared on his shoulder, looking at him intently. _Your orders?_ It seemed to say. "Go look for Sasuke and Sakura, and then let me know where they are."

The crow nodded and took off.

(Meanwhile)

Sakura stood in a clearing, trying to come up with a strategy. That baka, Naruto had tried rushing in with no plan and had ended up rather humiliated. Serve him right, the rude bastard!

"Sakura." Someone whispered. Sakura whipped around to find herself face to face with Kakashi.

**"Magen: Narakumi no jutsu."** Kakashi intoned, looking the pink-haired girl in the eyes. He vanished, a swirl of leaves beginning to spiral around her as she stood there, her eyes becoming cloudy.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked. She thought she'd seen her sensei standing in front of her, but there was no one there. She started to leave.

"S-Sakura..." croaked a voice. Sakura perked up at the sound of it; that was Sasuke-kun's voice!

She turned, smiling. "Sasuke-ku-" She choked on her words in horror. Sasuke was slumped against a tree. He was missing an arm, there were numerous wounds all over his body, and weapons were sticking out of some of them.

"H-help me...Saku...ra." Sasuke gasped.

The air was rent by a piercing scream. A few feet away in a tree, Kakashi watched as the girl fainted from the sight of her dying crush. "Lesson two: Genjutsu." He told the unconscious pinkette. He shook his head; the silly girl hadn't even checked to see if what she was seeing was an illusion. _She will definitely be a problem if she doesn't start taking being a ninja seriously._

In a nearby tree, a green-eyed crow watched both man and girl with a look of corvine disgust on its face. It shook itself, dislodging a feather from its body. As the feather drifted downward, it vanished in a tiny wisp of smoke.

(Back with Naruto)

Naruto looked up as a flash of memories hit him from the crow. He grimaced as he reviewed Sakura's performance. It seemed that, unless she improved later on, she might become a liability. Although, that voice of hers could provide a good distraction...

A few minutes later, he received another signal from the crow. It seemed Sasuke had put up a better fight against Kakashi than his female teammate had. He'd come out, challenged the Jonin and, during the fight, displayed knowledge of a high-ranked fire jutsu: the Goukakyu. Unfortunately, even with that, the last Uchiha was no match for his Jonin-sensei, and had ended up buried in the ground up to his neck. Naruto supposed he would have to go help the duck-butt. Sighing resignedly, he bounded off through the trees. Within moments, he came upon the clearing where the dark-haired boy was trapped. Looking at Sasuke, he couldn't help but laugh; he looked ridiculous with just his head sticking out of the ground.

"What are you doing here, dobe?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth. _Great, now he's laughing. I'll never live this down._ He thought.

Naruto stopped laughing quickly. "Actually, I wanted to ask you if we could work together. I think it's safe to assume that none of us can beat him and get the bells on our own. What do you say?"

Sasuke's Uchiha pride wanted to tell the blond with weird eyes to go shove it. The part of him that had been humiliatingly defeated and _buried_ told him that cooperating couldn't be that much worse. He opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, Sakura wandered in. She caught sight of Naruto and scowled.

"Naruto-baka! What are you doing here?" She shouted. "You're supposed to be trying to get a bell, not standing around doing nothing! By the way, I saw that 'secret Taijutsu' that sensei used on you. Also, what the hell were you thinking were you doing, blowing yourself up like that?"

Naruto's eye twitched. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to actually let me say something. And don't talk to me about losing, Miss 'I-can't-tell-when it's-a-Genjutsu'" He snapped. Sakura drew herself up

"Oi." Growled Sasuke. "As much fun as it is to watch you two duke it out, I'm still stuck here!"

Sakura, having just noticed that he was there, let out a gasp. "Sasuke-kun! What happened to you? Why are you in the ground?" She rounded on Naruto, "You did this, didn't you?" She hissed, pointing accusatorily at him.

Pointedly ignoring her, Naruto casually created a Kage Bunshin which, at the snap of his fingers, **Kawirimied** Sasuke out of the hole before dispersing. The Uchiha nodded gratefully at him before turning resignedly to Sakura. "He didn't put me in there, Kakashi-sensei did. He used some sort of jutsu to tunnel underground before pulling me down."

"You didn't happen to get the name of it, did you?" Naruto asked, suddenly interested.

Sasuke blinked, bemused. "Uh...yeah, it was Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu."

Naruto nodded slightly, committing the name to memory. Then he looked up at his two teammates. "Alright, we're gonna need a plan if we want to pass this."

"Why should we work with you?" Sakura demanded to know, "Sasuke-kun and I can pass this on our own! And when we pass, it'll just be the two of us on the team!" She gave Sasuke an eager look. He looked quite horrified and then frowned thoughtfully as something occurred to him.

"Wait. Genin teams have always had four people. If one person got sent back, there would only be three, and I doubt the Hokage would allow that. That means that we're all supposed to pass."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I came to that conclusion as well. Also, if we all have to pass, that means we're supposed to work together, instead of trying to get a bell of our own. Seems sensei was deliberately trying to mislead us."

"So, what's our plan?" Sasuke asked.

"Well..." Naruto began. He filled them in on what they were supposed to do. Sakura would try to steal one of the bentos. Kakashi would obviously catch her in the act, leaving himself open to a surprise attack from Naruto and Sasuke.

"Why do I have to steal it?" Sakura complained. She didn't want to get tied to the training post.

"Because you were the only one who was stupid enough not to eat breakfast." Naruto said firmly. "We don't have much time to do this; 12:00 is coming up fast. We need to go now! Move it, Pinky!"

Sakura bristled at the insult, but ran off. Sasuke started to follow, but Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait a moment, Sasuke. You're going to stay back."

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"I've got something in mind for you." Naruto answered, handing him a kunai.

He looked down at it and then back at Naruto. "Uh, thanks...how will this help, exactly?"

Smiling, Naruto told him what the knife would be used for. Sasuke was impressed by the plan; back in the academy, Naruto hadn't been so smart. He was always yelling loudly and disrupting the class with his pranks, so it wasn't much of a surprise that he'd had the lowest grades of the academy. But now he was being serious and coming up with legitimate plans! What could have caused this change of behavior? Sasuke didn't know, but he didn't have time to think about it either.

A few minutes later, Kakashi stood near the clearing by the training posts, Icha Icha in hand. He giggled to himself; he was at the part where Hirosuke was about to return Hitomi's love...the sound of unwrapping plastic reached his ears. He looked up irritably and saw Sakura crouched by the posts, one of the bentos in hand. It seemed that she'd succumbed to hunger from not eating breakfast. Well too bad, she'd interrupted his reading time! Forming the handseals, he **Shunshined** over to her.

"Well, well, well." Sakura flinched at the sound of her sensei's voice. Slowly, she looked up into his one eye, which was gleaming with malice. "I had expected someone to try to steal it, but I didn't think it would be you." He advanced on the now shaking girl, enjoying himself immensely. Suddenly, there was a battle cry behind him. He wheeled around to witness a pair of Naruto clones charging towards him, brandishing kunai in their fists. With little effort, the Jonin intercepted the Bunshin, grabbing them and lifting them into the air by the collars of their jackets. "Don't interrupt," He told them ominously, "Unless you wish to die."

"Death doesn't really mean much to us, asshole." One of the clones said snidely. He pulled out a kunai and tossed it onto the ground next to Kakashi, on the side where he kept the bells.

Concealed in a nearby bush, Naruto nodded to Sasuke. "Do it."

Sasuke smirked and made three handseals. **"Kawirimi!"** He declared. Instantly the air rushed past him as he switched places with the kunai. Normally it would have been impossible to switch places with such a small object, but earlier, when Naruto had given him the kunai; the other boy had told him to charge it with his chakra, making it easier for Sasuke to find and Kawirimi with it. Sasuke found himself starting to respect the blond for his ideas; he was certainly no moron if he could come up with stuff like this.

Sasuke's technique left him on Kakashi's left side, right next to the bells. Since the man's left eye was covered by his hitai-ate, he was unable to see the dark-haired boy appear next to him. Sasuke casually reached out and snagged them. _Too easy._ He thought.

Sakura caught sight of him and gasped. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke cursed as Kakashi's head snapped around to lock eyes with him. The possessed man dropped the clones and stalked towards him, looking murderous. He had a feeling that, whatever he did, Kakashi would still outclass him. And if he tried the Goukakyu again, he might hit Sakura; and while he might not like her, he didn't want to burn her to a crisp. He turned and ran, hearing the Jonin tearing after him, with the clones not far behind. "Naruto!" He roared, "A little help would be nice!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the air seemed to flicker and with a rush of air, Sasuke was back behind the bush with Naruto. Looking around, he saw that Sakura was also there, looking as bewildered as he felt. He turned and saw Kakashi surrounded by four clones.

"Very clever." The silver-haired Jonin called, having calmed down a bit. "But you'll have to do better than that if you want the bells."

Sasuke snorted and glanced at Naruto. "Should we tell him we already got them?" he whispered.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, there's still a few minutes left." He replied, "I still want to get him back for that ass-poke." A large crow flew out of the trees and perched on his shoulder, surprising him. _What the..._ He'd thought the thing would have dispelled by now. Either way, it saved him the trouble of having to make another one.

"What's that supposed to do?" Sasuke asked.

"This." Naruto raised his arm and pointed at Kakashi. **"Tori Ya!" (Avian Arrow)** He shouted. Instantly the crow took off towards the Jonin at high speed; as it flew, its shape changed, becoming longer and thinner, the individual feathers hardening and blending together.

Kakashi looked around and saw a large black arrow speeding towards him. With a speed as befitted his status as an elite Jonin, he dove out of way. The arrow streaked through the place where his chest had been, struck the training post and stuck, quivering, in the log directly beneath the alarm clock he'd set up. At that moment, the alarm rang, signifying the end of the test.

"Alright guys, you can come out. It's over!" Kakashi called shakily. The three Genin strolled out of the bushes toward him, Sasuke and Naruto talking to each other.

Naruto sighed. "Damn."

"Heh, looks like you don't get your revenge after all, dobe." Sasuke laughed.

The other boy just shrugged noncommittally. "Ah, no big deal. There'll be other opportunities." Then he frowned, watching the black arrow. "Actually, I didn't even expect that to work; I just made it up on the spot." _Care to explain how that happened, Alex?_

Alex cleared his throat. _Well,_ He began, _It's a kind of trait of the Gormim and the Blacklight; you just tend to make up techniques as you go along. You just need a name and an idea of how the attack works, and it will._

_Not that,_ Naruto rolled his eyes, _I mean, how did the crow change shape? I can tell that wasn't a Henge, its features changed without any smoke. Also, why hasn't it dispelled yet?_

_Oh, as to that, when you made the crow, you took a large amount of biomass and mixed it a little chakra, right?_

_Right..._

_Well, in terms of your energies, biomass is matter, the body, if you will. When you used the jutsu, the biomass took on the shape you wanted it to. Then the chakra mixed in with it gave it life of its own. It probably hasn't dispelled because biomass doesn't return to the void until told to. And since it has a consciousness, it probably won't go away until either you tell it to or it receives a fatal blow. It's kinda like those clones you spar with: they can take an enormous beating until you actually break their skulls._

_And it changed because?_

_Even if it looks like a crow, it is composed entirely of biomass, meaning it can shapeshift into anything it wants, whether it is organic or not. Although, if you tell it to become something specific, it will probably listen to you, as its creator._

Naruto mulled this over as they sat down by the posts.

Kakashi looked at them critically for a moment and began to speak. "Well, you three did pretty well, but you didn't get the bells. It looks like none of you pass-"

Sasuke wordlessly held up the two bells, showing them to his sensei before tossing one each to Naruto and Sakura.

Kakashi blinked, bewildered. _When did he...?_ He thought back. When would the Uchiha have had the opportunity to grab the bells? Then he remembered when Sasuke had appeared next to him a few minutes beforehand. _It must have been then. Damn blind spot!_ "Good work," he told Sasuke grudgingly, "But you do realize that you'll be sent back to the academy, right?"

"Nope." Naruto spoke up, "We know that you were bluffing. You don't have the authority to say you'll teach just two of us, only the Hokage can do something like that. This test was about teamwork, and we've definitely shown that."

"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in. She had to admit, while she had been used as bait, the plan had not been half bad. _If only Sasuke-kun had come up with it. Why'd it have to be Naruto-baka?_ She thought resentfully.

Kakashi glared down at the blond-haired brat. He would pay for insulting him like that. "Are you sure about that?" He said. As he spoke, storm clouds filled the sky, darkening the atmosphere. "You don't know that for sure; you've just been guessing. Would you be willing to risk your lives on that conviction?" He asked threateningly.

Sasuke and Sakura cringed at the sight of Kakashi, whose lone eye was glaring down at them. Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Oh, cut the theatrics." He said lazily. "We passed and you know it."

Kakashi's face darkened further. "If that's your final answer..." He raised arm as if to strike. Sakura cowered behind Sasuke. Then he dropped his arm and eye-smiled. "Yep, you passed."

Both Sasuke and Sakura sighed with relief, while Naruto nodded, satisfied. "Great. Now that that's done, can we eat? I'm starving!"

Kakashi nodded absently, and they got the bentos out. Sasuke ended up having to share with Sakura, since he had been left without a bell and thus, did not get a bento. Kakashi glanced at the arrow, which was still embedded in the training log. "Naruto, what was that attack earlier? It didn't look like any jutsu I've seen before."

Naruto just shrugged. "I made it up. Good thing you ducked, though, it probably would've skewered you otherwise."

_I don't doubt that._ Kakashi thought.

Naruto, having finished his lunch, stood up and grabbed the black arrow. It seemed to be made of some hard material that was not quite wood. At the end of it, there was a clump of black crow's feathers. With a yank, enhanced by his Blacklight strength, he pulled the arrow out and looked at the head, which closely resembled a crow's beak. _It seems that this thing is obsessed with crows._ He thought.

_That's probably my fault. I've always had a bit of an affinity for them. It must have gotten that from me._ Alex admitted.

Suddenly, the arrow twitched and began to shrink. Naruto found himself clutching a large black bird in his hand. The bird squirmed out of his grip and fell on the ground. It righted itself quickly and, glaring at Naruto, changed into a cat. The rest of Team 7 stared at it for a moment.

"Uh, dobe?" Sasuke said oddly, "Your crow just turned into a cat."

"That it did." Naruto acknowledged. He held out his arms and the cat jumped into them. "Well, I've always wanted a cat." The feline looked up at him with green eyes that had crossed pupils. "I'll see you 'round!" He told his team, walking away.

"Wait, Naruto." Kakashi called, getting over his shock at Naruto's new pet. "Report here tomorrow morning, alright? We're going to start missions."

Naruto nodded to show that he'd heard and continued walking.

_I have the feeling things are going to become very strange around here._ Kakashi thought dismally, _What kind of bird changes its shape like that?_

_What a weirdo!_ Sakura thought, staring at Naruto's retreating back.

(Later)

Hinata sat on a bench, wondering when Naruto would appear. They had made the bench their normal meeting place, since there were no people around to overhear them.

"Hi, Hinata-chan!" Hinata looked up and saw Naruto walking toward her with a cat.

"H-hello, N-Naruto-kun." She replied, blushing. "H-how did your t-test go?"

"Oh, we passed, obviously." Said Naruto proudly, sitting next to her, "I'm assuming your team do it too. Did you pass?"

"H-hai. There w-wasn't much of a problem and we m-managed to work together to f-find Kurenai-sensei. Although, Kiba k-kept trying to put his hands on me, which was r-rather annoying."

The cat yawned and jumped from Naruto's arms to the back of the bench, becoming a crow again. Hinata stared at it. "Ano...N-Naruto-kun? Y-your cat turned into a b-bird..."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto shrugged. He told her what had happened during the test, as well as what Alex had told him about the crow. Hinata was intrigued by the idea of a jutsu that could create indefinitely living things.

"H-how did you figure out what the purpose of the t-test was?" She asked.

"Alex told me." Said Naruto.

Hinata frowned slightly. "And...how did h-he know, if he is sealed inside y-you?"

Naruto scratched his head thoughtfully. "I told you, he's been to multiple versions of this world and read about it."

She blinked. "R-read about it? Nani?"

_Naruto._ Alex said suddenly. _Let me explain it to her._

_How?_ Naruto asked.

_There is a jutsu. It will allow me to speak directly to her._ He showed Naruto the hand signs.

"Alex wants to tell you himself." He explained to a confused Hinata. He made four hand seals. **"Ninpou: Onsei Densō!" (Ninja Art: Voice Transmission)** A string of chakra extended from his body and attached to the crow. The bird stiffened and twitched for a moment. Then it opened its beak and spoke in Alex's voice.

"Much better, thanks Naruto." It said. The crow turned to look at the Hyuuga girl. "You have your questions, right?"

Hinata gaped in surprise. It wasn't every day a large bird spoke to you.

"Hello?" The crow prompted.

"Oh, s-sorry. Um, Alex-san, w-what do you mean when you say you've r-read about this world?"

The crow bobbed its head. "Alright Hinata-chan, imagine this: for every book or story out there, there exists a corresponding world and vice-versa. This world is no exception; there are hundreds of thousands of versions of it in existence, with one original story-world, known as 'canon.' One of the purposes of the Gormim is to find and infiltrate these worlds, do what they can to find powerful things or people, and memorize how they work so they can be reproduced."

"R-reproduced?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Well, for an object it's easy. They observe how an artifact would work and recreate it. Sometimes they improve on its designs a little. Hell, they once copied a whole warehouse full of powerful artifacts. For things like a jutsu, a Gorem would ask to learn it from its user. Things like a bloodline, however, were practically impossible to gain. The most they could do was try and copy the elemental bloodline jutsus, with varying degrees of success. Then they found me."

"What d-do you mean?" Asked the blue-haired girl.

"Well, as Naruto no doubt told you, one of my abilities allows me to consume a person, or part of one, after killing them. Doing so provides me with their genetic code. Since everything about a person is recorded on their DNA, I am able to do anything that they could do when they were alive, including using their bloodline. This obviously thrilled the Gormim, since I could share my obtained power with them."

Hinata thought about this for a moment and then looked at Naruto. "Ano, if you are g-going to gain the same p-powers as Alex-san, N-Naruto-kun, doesn't that mean that you will become a G-Gorem?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Ya know, I never thought of that." He frowned at the crow, "Well, Alex? How close is she?"

"Dead on, kid." Replied the Blacklight-possessed bird. "Once your own Blacklight powers get to a certain point, the Scattered Foundations will acknowledge you and give you a Negative Infinity. Probably not a full one, though. For that, I'd have to mark you myself and induct you fully into the Blacklight, when your powers were fully realized."

"W-what then?" Hinata asked. A sensation of dread was dawning on her. "What will happen once you fully b-become one?"

The real Alex looked away sadly, though they couldn't see him. He knew what was worrying the girl, and it did not bring him pleasure to confirm her fears. Finally, he said, "When he becomes a Gorem, he will be able to stay around in this world for a while. Eventually, however, he will have to return home to the Scattered Foundations."

Naruto's mismatched eyes widened. Hinata paled and started to shake. Naruto? Leave? Leave her behind! "A-Alex-san?" She asked quietly. "W-what if someone w-wanted to g-go with N-Naruto-kun?" Inwardly, she cursed her stutter. It seemed to have worsened again; just when it was starting to improve!

Alex smirked, though it didn't show on the crow (Crows don't smirk). She said 'someone,' but he knew she meant 'I.' "If a person wanted to follow Naruto that badly, they would have to become a Gorem themselves. However, the only Gorem currently present in this world is myself; meaning you would need to become infected successfully by the Blacklight virus and that won't happen too easily."

Hinata, who had been listening intently, scowled. "Why not?" She growled at the bird, her voice back to normal. Naruto couldn't help but grin to himself; she looked so cute like that!

_Wait, where did that come from?_ He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Alex was answering her. "The virus is something that should not be passed lightly; it could have catastrophic effects on the infected and all those near them. Naruto was an exception due to our situation but for anyone else, the risk is great. As such, I will only infect a person with the virus when the voice directs me to."

Naruto, who had been deep in his own thoughts, snapped his head in the crow's direction. "Wait, wait, wait, what? What voice?" He asked. Alex had never said anything about a voice before!

The Blacklight glanced at him through the crow before answering. "It is what drives the Gormim to do what they do. Nobody knows what it really is or where it comes from. All we know is, when there is some major moment or choice to be made, there is a voice that tells us what to do 'in order for events to progress as they must' for that world." The black bird shook its feathered head. "The last time I listened to that voice, I got sealed in you."

"Nani!" Exclaimed both Naruto and Hinata.

"On the night of the Kyuubi attack, the voice appeared and told me to make the Shinigami mad at me. So I did."

"W-what would happen if you didn't l-listen to it?" Hinata asked.

"I don't know, but we do know that if we don't...it will not end well."

There was a long, ominous silence at these words. The two Genin looked at each other, not knowing what to make of this information.

"I see I have disturbed you." Alex said apologetically. "I suggest you work it off with a good spar. It's no good to sit around and think about it all day, these are just questions that cannot be answered. A good fight ought to put it out of your minds." With that, the crow hopped down off the back of the bench and transformed back into a cat, which curled up and stared at the two of them intently.

Naruto sighed and stood up, stretching. "I guess he's right. What you say to a sparring match, Hinata-chan? Taijutsu only." He asked the Hyuuga girl.

"If-if that's what you w-want." Hinata replied, getting up herself. "But I should warn you." She got into the standard Jyuuken stance, "My clan specializes in T-taijutsu."

(An hour later)

Hinata panted heavily, barely dodging another punch from her blond opponent. For a while she had had the upper hand; her Jyuuken skills, substandard though they were, had forced Naruto on the defensive. Then his eye had changed; she watched as his brown eye, the eye he'd gotten from Alex, became a bright green with a crossed-pupil, the same as the eyes of the cat/crow. Then, with his increased speed and already immense strength, he forced her to desperately dodge all of his swings, kicks and punches._ Is this the strength of a Blacklight?_ She briefly wondered in awe. It had been tough, but with her natural flexibility, she'd managed not to get hit with the full brunt of the attacks. But now she was exhausted, it was getting harder to avoid his attacks and he looked like he wouldn't be stopping any time soon. How in the Log's name did he not even look tired! Sooner or later, her reflexes would give out and a blow would land. Unbidden, tears came to her eyes. _Is this all I can do?_ She thought despairingly, _Am I weak enough that I can only dodge like this?_ She saw him come at her, green eye blazing and fist raised. She knew she couldn't dodge this next one, she was too tired. She shut her own eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks, waiting for the powerful fist to land. Nothing happened. Tentatively, she opened one eye, then the other. Naruto stood in front of her, both hands by his sides. His head was hung and he looked absolutely ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry." He said sadly. "I went too hard on you. I shouldn't have used the eye. I should have realized you weren't having fun." As he was fighting, Naruto had felt exhilaration. Fighting his clones was an exciting way to exercise his power, but it was a good change to fight someone different. The look on her face as she had dominated the beginning of the fight had been one of triumph, enjoyment at having the upper hand. Then he had gone into the Blacklight Adrenaline Surge and turned the tables on her. For a while that had been fun, but then, as he was about to punch her, he'd seen her crying. _What am I doing?_ He thought, horrorstruck. There was no way she could take one of his punches; she'd be hurt badly. Shame filled him as he realized what he had nearly done.

"It's-it's alright." She told him, quickly wiping away her tears. "I should have r-realized I couldn't keep up with you."

"But I was getting too into it!" Naruto argued. "I should have stopped! It's my fault."

"N-no it isn't." She retorted. Before he could argue further she put up her hands. "L-look, why d-don't we just agree that no one is to b-blame. It was j-just a sparring m-match that g-got out of hand."

Naruto sighed grumpily. "Fine. If you say so." Then he looked up at her sternly, "But you get a free hit. It's only fair!"

Hinata stared incredulously at him. He couldn't be serious! But she knew it was the only way to get him past this. "If you ins-insist." Taking a deep breath, she walked up to him. Then, with every ounce of her remaining strength, she head-butted him. *Bang!*

Naruto stumbled back, dazed. "Ah, that was a good one." He groaned, eyes shut against the pain. He heard a quiet thud and a whimper. His eyes snapped open to see Hinata lying on the ground, her hands pressed to her forehead. Quickly forgetting his own pain, he knelt down next to her. "Hinata-chan! Are you alright? What happened?" He asked concernedly.

"You...you have a hard head." Hinata groaned, staring at him with half closed, unfocused eyes. "My head hurts..." with that, she went limp and passed out.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. _Alex, what do I do? She knocked herself out!_

_Alright, alright, calm down._ Alex said reassuringly. _If you transfer some biomass to her, she ought to be okay._

Without answering, Naruto leaned over her face, gently prodding it with his finger. Eventually, she opened her mouth, allowing him to stick the digit inside. Then, concentrating, he imagined biomass pouring out of him into her body, healing the girl.

A while later, Hinata opened her eyes. She felt weird, like her whole body had been filled with very thick cotton. Her head didn't hurt anymore; on the contrary, she felt rather nice. She could vaguely make out a yellow shape above her, staring down at her with blue and brown eyes. On her other side, a black shape with green eyes peered at her in interest.

"Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" The yellow thing asked her. Dimly, she realized it was Naruto.

"Oh hello, Naruto-kun!" She said, smiling. "I wondered who you were."

Naruto was starting to get worried. She was awake, but her eyes still had a glazed look to them. Also, something seemed kind of off about the way she was acting. "Um, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?" He asked tentatively.

"Nope." She said cheerfully. She sat up, swaying. "I feel good."

Naruto frowned at her. There was definitely something wrong with her. "I think you should go home and lie down."

She pouted. "But I don't want to!" She whined.

Naruto blinked at her incredulously. _Yep, she's definitely way out of it._ "I'll carry you if you want." He said carefully.

Hinata smiled dazedly. "Okay!" She said, a slight drag to her words. She tried to stand but her legs kept folding underneath her. It seemed that her muscles wouldn't respond to what her brain was saying. She giggled to herself, imagining a brain trying to direct a pair of legs that were lounging on a chair.

Naruto reached down and, with his strength, easily pulled her up onto his back. She happily latched her arms around his neck as he put his arms under her thighs, supporting her.

"Mmm, you're warm." Hinata mumbled, nuzzling the back of his head.

Naruto couldn't help but blush at the feeling of her soft chest on his back. _Note to self: Hinata gets drunk on biomass. You know, you could've warned me this would happen, Alex!_ He said irritably as he set off, the black cat trotting alongside him.

Alex bristled. _Hey, I didn't know about it either! I'm about as surprised as you are; though I'm probably more amused._

Before Naruto could tell Alex to shut the fuck up, he was brought back to earth by a sensation behind him. Hinata had started chewing on his hair. "Hinata...what are you doing?"

Hinata's answer was muffled by the hair in her mouth, though he was sure he heard the word 'taste' and 'lemon.'

As they walked through the village, trying to find the Hyuuga Clan compound (Hinata wasn't being very helpful in giving directions), a lot of funny looks were directed at them from nearby villagers. They didn't seem to recognize him, their attention being riveted to the delirious dark-haired girl on his back.

When she started singing about apple pies and the universe, Alex burst out laughing inside Naruto's head, while Naruto was just confused and weirded out.

"What the hell are you doing, dobe?" A voice asked. Naruto turned to see Sasuke staring at him.

"I'm trying to take Hinata home." Naruto explained. "Though I haven't had much luck. She's really out of it."

"I'll say." Sasuke agreed, watching the humming Hyuuga. There was an unnatural iridescence in her pupil-less, lavender eyes. "What the hell happened to her?"

"We had a sparring match and she tried to head-butt me. It didn't work out very well." Naruto explained. "You wouldn't happen to know where her clan's compound is, would you?"

Sasuke frowned for a moment and pointed. "I think it's that way. Don't hold me to that though; the Uchihas and the Hyuugas didn't really like each other, so I never really went there."

"Right, thanks." Naruto grunted, wandering off.

"Bye, Duck-butt!" Hinata called.

A while later, Naruto still hadn't found the Hyuuga compound.

"Hey, Naruto-kuun." Hinata drawled.

"Yes?" Naruto asked tiredly.

"You have a nice cat." She said sweetly, "Wha's his name?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "He doesn't have one." He said, his voice as strained as his patience. "Got any ideas for it?"

Hinata hummed for a moment, then said, "He's got some pretty green eyes. How about Midori?"

He frowned for a moment, thinking about it. "That's a bit long. How about Mido for short?"

"Yay!" Hinata cheered childishly. "Mido the shape-shifting cat-thingy!"

The newly dubbed feline looked up at her with a deadpan expression.

And so the trio continued through the village. At one point, Naruto wondered if they were going in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to be going. Hinata was being even less helpful, her whispered babblings becoming steadily dirtier. She started asking Naruto to do things to her that he repeatedly told her they were _too young_ to do, unfortunately.

"And how much of this is written in your diary?" Naruto asked, trying to embarrass her into silence.

"Not all of it." Hinata admitted, smiling perversely. "I'll write it down when I get home, though. Maybe you could come over some time and help me reenact-"

"Onee-chan!" Naruto looked up and saw a girl running up to them. She was incredibly short, with the same pale, pupil-less eyes as Hinata and long brown hair. She didn't look happy. "Where were you, Otou-san wants to see you."

"Hiya, Hanabi-chan!" Hinata said thickly. "Why are you so blurry?"

Hanabi blinked at her in shock, then glared at Naruto. "What did you do to my sister!" She asked threateningly.

Naruto slumped, crying anime tears. "I don't know, but I really want to undo it!"

"Hey! Don' yell at Naruto-kun!" Hinata slurred. "Tha's not nice, Shorty."

"Sh-short?" Hanabi bristled. "I'm not short!"

Naruto snorted. "Hate to tell you, but..."

"Shut it Blondie." She snapped at him.

"Hey! What'd I tell you 'bout yelling at my Fishcake?" Hinata interjected.

"ENOUGH!" Naruto yelled, finally losing his patience with both sisters. He looked at Hanabi. "First, the sooner we get to your house, the sooner she can sleep this off. Your yelling is not helping, got it?" The younger girl nodded quickly. "And you," Naruto craned his head around to scowl at Hinata, who looked scared. "My name is Maelstrom, not Fishcake."

"O-okay." She said, looking alarmed.

"Follow me then." Hanabi said nervously, leading them down the street.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Her stutter seemed to have returned. "Are you m-mad at me?"

"A bit." Naruto said, "You've been very annoying and you called me Fishcake. That's not okay."

"I'm s-sorry." She whispered. Naruto was dismayed to feel a warm wetness on the back of his neck. "I'm s-sorry for annoying y-you." She said, crying now.

"No, I'm sorry." Naruto said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I've just had a very trying day. It's not your fault." This did not cheer her up and she continued crying weakly into his jacket.

_Nice going, Jackass._ Kina said disapprovingly.

Naruto said nothing but continued following Hanabi, feeling ashamed again.

Later, the three people plus one cat stood in front of the Hyuuga mansion.

"Come on, Onee-chan." Hanabi said gently, "Come inside and sleep. I'll tell Otou-san you'll talk to him tomorrow."

Hinata had climbed off of Naruto's back but clung to his hand, refusing to be separated from him. She stood next to him, her face still streaked with tears, her lip trembling.

"Go on, Hinata-chan." Naruto said quietly, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The dazed girl sniffed and nodded, letting go of his hand and stumbling after her sister, zigzagging back and forth on unsteady feet. Naruto watched her go sadly, then turned to leave. The voice of a guard stopped him in his tracks.

"That demon-brat's done something to Hinata-sama." The Hyuuga mumbled to the Uzumaki's retreating back.

Naruto spun on his heel and gave a snarl of fury, lashing out. A pair of black biomass spikes flew out of his sleeve, embedding themselves in the wall on either side of the shocked sentinel's head. "My best friend is upset because of me." He snapped at the man, pinning him in place with his KI. "I am not in the mood to tolerate any demon bullshit from you! Come on, Mido." He turned to go again, his cat leaping up onto his shoulder.

When he got home, he did not sleep well.

(Scattered Foundations)

Blair Souse wandered the space between the drifting demesnes. Storia had told her that she was to gather a team of Gormim for the Chunin Exams of the Naruto-verse she would be going to. The trouble was, she didn't have the faintest idea of who to look for. _Maybe I should look for someone who does know. Or at least point me in the right direction._ She thought suddenly. She turned and strode in a different direction through the space.

A few minutes later, she reached a small temple surrounded by trees. She sighed with relief as she touched down on the solid ground. It seemed that her target was present. Walking inside, she was greeted by the sight of a tall, black-haired man. He wore brown pants that were a little too short in the leg and a tattered gray shirt, over which was a double bandolier full of brass darts. Hanging around his neck was a disk of dusty blue glass. "Hello to you, Blair." The man said in a deep voice with a Russian accent. "It is nice to see you."

"Which part of me?" Blair asked, crossing her arms under her well-endowed chest.

The man chuckled. "All of you, but the front especially."

"Nice to see you too, Vaga." Blair replied, smiling. "Listen, I have a favor to ask you."

"Of course." Vaga nodded acceptingly.

The water elemental told him of her mission to gather three suitable Gormim. At the end, Vaga nodded again. "You wish for me to help you find these candidates?" He asked.

Blair shrugged. "No, just point me in the right direction of one of them. I know that's within your power."

"That is true." The dark-haired man admitted. "But I will require payment for my Finding."

She sighed. "What do you want?"

"Nothing too major." He said evasively. "I just want the coordinates to this universe to which you are going. Its voice is calling to me, telling me that I am needed there."

Blair nodded seriously. "Take it up with Storia, he'll understand. For a fellow Magia such as you, he might be more accommodating."

Vaga smiled and lifted up his glass disk, peering intently into it. Blair watched it too. Soon, points of red light began to appear inside it, filling it up.

"Stop that." He told her suddenly. "You are interfering."

"Oh, sorry." She looked away.

After a moment he looked up again and pointed to the side. "You shall find your first team member in that direction."

Blair bowed and left. After a moment, Vaga exited the temple. As his boots touched the ground it shot away underneath him, their magic propelling him across the abyss. He had a historian to visit.

AN: Chapter 8: complete. And about time, too. I thought I'd never finish this. Poor Hina-chan, knocking herself out on Naruto's skull, falling into delirium, and getting upset enough to cry. I hate seeing Hinata cry.

Another Gorem has been introduced: Vaga Farwalker. He acts as a messenger for the Gormim, with his ability to always end up where he needs to be and find what needs to be found. He is also the keeper of the Messenger Darts, which can be used to quickly send messages. These darts have been modified to allow them to fly from world to world if necessary, even into the Scattered Foundations. His name is based on the word Vagabond or wanderer. His last name is based on the book The Farwalker's Quest.

The poll stands thusly:  
Glass/Living art (female) 24  
Metal (male) 19  
Technology (male) 16  
Ice (male) 8  
Lightning (male) 6  
Sound (female) 4  
Stone (female) 2  
Keep up the votes!

Well, I'll see you next time! By the way, people; I know you're all reading this so why in the Log's name won't you review! It won't kill you. Seriously, just leave a comment saying what you think. Maybe some ideas

Next time: Beginning missions.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Well, after that last chapter, I'm feeling depressed. A sad Hinata makes me sad too. Let's hope things will get better.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or the Farwalker's Quest.

"Speech"  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
**_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being  
_**Jutsu/Technique (underlined)**

Chapter 9: Hinata's short temper, Language Prime, cat-retrieval, and deeper thoughts.

(Scattered Foundations)

Vaga Farwalker streaked through the space between his temple and the great library, arriving in a matter of seconds. He smiled appreciatively at his boots; they were such useful things, always moving him so quickly. Then he shook his head sternly, remembering why he was here. He strode in among the maze of bookshelves, the voice of the path guiding him in the right directions until, all too soon, he reached a desk. Seated at the desk, with his hands on a crystal ball and a vacant expression on his face, was one of the oldest Gormim, Storia Spellwright. Vaga watched him patiently, waiting for movement. When nothing happened, he cleared his throat loudly. Still nothing. The black haired man scowled at the Narrator's lack of response. "Mr. Spellwright!" He finally shouted.

Storia jumped and looked around, blinking nearsightedly. "What? Who's there?" He quickly put on his glasses and saw a black-haired man frowning at him. "Can I help you?" He asked irritably.

"Yes. My name is Vaga Farwalker, and I wish to go to a certain world of Naruto."

"You and everyone else." Storia groaned. "You're a Farwalker, eh? How soon do you have to be there?" He knew that when a Farwalker had to go somewhere, it was best to assist them. To do otherwise was to invite trouble. (AN: Farwalker is a title as well as a name, like Spellwright)

"Reasonably soon." Vaga assured him. "Would it inconvenience you to send me the right way?"

"No, no!" Storia exclaimed quickly. "Although, you may want to get a few artifacts to bring with you." Seeing the Farwalker's confused face, he explained, "In such a world, you must have weapons to defend yourself."

Vaga furrowed his brow for a moment and said, "I will be back soon." He turned strode off, vanishing in a blur.

Storia turned back to his desk, shivering slightly. _Creeps me the fuck out._ He thought. _There's something off about him. Maybe it's because he's a Farwalker. They always seem like they're not entirely there. Only ones creepier are the Dins, their music is scary as all hell!_

(Naruto-verse: Hyuuga compound, next morning)

Hinata awoke in an unusually good mood. She could clearly remember most of what had happened the previous day and part of her was heartily embarrassed by what she had said to Naruto. The main part, however, felt too cheerful to care. Besides which, she thought as she got dressed, she'd meant it. At least, the part about her writing it down and him helping her reenact it. _Although it might have been a little too soon. _She admitted to herself.

"Morning, Nee-chan." Said a voice. Hinata looked down to see Hanabi eyeing her apprehensively. "How are you feeling?" She asked. "You seemed kind of upset last night."

"Nope!" Said Hinata brightly. "I feel fine."

Hanabi blinked at her in astonishment. She'd never, _ever_, seen her sister looking cheerful before. She was always a gloomy depressed person when at home. _It must be a side-effect of whatever happened to her before._ She thought. Still, she seemed to be lucid enough. "Otou-sama wants to see you." She told her smiling sister. "He wasn't very happy about you not seeing him last night, so you should go talk with him as soon as possible."

The elder girl grimaced. "If I must." She said half-heartedly. Just when she had gotten in a good mood! She stepped around Hanabi and went on her way. About a minute later, she stood by the door to her father's study. With a mantra of _don't wanna do this, don't wanna do this_ playing through her head, she called tentatively, "Father? You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Enter." Came the stern reply. Biting her lip, she did so. Hiashi Hyuuga sat behind his desk looking, as always, displeased to see her. As if laying eyes on her reminded him of things he would rather not remember. "Am I to understand that your team passed their Genin test?" He began without preamble.

"Yes. It was rather simple: Kurenai-sensei hid in a nearby forest using Genjutsu and we had to use our chakra-sensing abilities to find her."

Hiashi nodded coldly. "And who are your teammates?" He asked.

_Of course, no words of congratulations._ Hinata thought angrily, a fist clenching at her side. _Would it _kill_ him to just compliment me!_ Instead of voicing these inner complaints, she answered calmly. "Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame." She didn't bother mentioning her opinions on either one. No doubt he didn't want to know what _she_ had to say. She noticed that the longer she stood in his presence, instead of becoming depressed like normal, she was feeling increasingly angry. She had to look away so that he wouldn't see it in her eyes.

Hiashi frowned. He couldn't place it, but there was something different about his eldest daughter. Instead of cowering and stuttering, she was standing tall and talking to him coolly, though she wouldn't look at him. Perhaps it had something to do with...

"The guards told me you had to be carried home last night." He stated, "Why was this?"

Hinata shrugged distractedly, trying to act as Hyuuga-like as possible. "My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I don't think I was in a state to be walking, let alone find my own way home. I had an...accident while training and Naruto-kun offered to take me home. However, if Hanabi-nee-san had not found us, we probably would never have found the compound."

Hiashi kept up an emotionless mask, but inside he fumed. Not only had the wretched girl been reduced to a helpless state, she had been alone with that Kyuubi brat! "Hinata."

Hinata heard the hidden anger in her father's voice and looked at him in surprise. _What did I say _this_ time?_ She thought bitterly.

"When you say Naruto, do you mean Naruto Uzumaki?" Hiashi asked with fake calm, "Because if you do, then as your clan head I must tell you that whatever relationship you have with him must end. Immediately."

Hinata stood up so straight and so fast that one could almost hear her spine crack. "Excuse me?" She asked quietly. Hiashi could have sworn he felt the temperature drop with that simple question. "Tell me, Hiashi-_sama_." She said icily, nearly activating her Byakugan out of the sheer rage she was feeling. "What am _I_ supposed to understand from that? You tell me to cut off relations with a boy I barely see (a lie) without an explanation. I would have thought that as your _heir_, I would be entitled to a reason." _For this bullshittery._ She finished mentally.

"Heir or not, you are the failure of this clan!" Hiashi barked authoritatively, firing up. "As such, you are in no position to be questioning my orders. You will cut off any relations with Uzumaki, understand?"

Hinata saw red. Not only did this man tell her she was a failure, he wanted her to stay away from the sweetest boy she'd ever known! This would not stand.

_He must die!_ She screamed internally. _No one shall separate me from Naruto-kun!_

But, even as she was wondering how easy it would be to just Jyuuken him in the brain, she knew that she could not show such defiance. She would be caught and branded with the Caged-Bird seal for sure. Then any hope for a life with Naruto-kun would be extinguished. With a titanic effort, she gathered up her ire and shoved it aside. Then she glared at Hiashi, still angry, but calm enough to not charge him.

"Well?" Hiashi asked, oblivious of how close he'd just come to death.

Hinata took a deep breath, swelling. "Bite me!" She shouted. Before her father could say anything, she wheeled around and stormed out of the office, leaving him open-mouthed in shock.

She ran until she reached her favorite courtyard before stopping, panting. _That was close._ She thought shakily. _If that had gone on there's no telling what would have happened._

"How'd it go, Nee-chan?" Asked Hanabi, walking up to her.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Hinata told her sister what had transpired with her father.

"I was this close to just snapping and hitting him, Hanabi. I've never felt anything like that before." She concluded, shivering.

Hanabi frowned. "It must be a side-effect of whatever that guy did to you." She said, nodding with conviction.

"Hanabi-nee-chan..." Hinata said warningly, "You wouldn't be accusing Naruto-kun of doing anything _wrong_, would you?"

Hanabi gulped, scooting back in her seat at the menacing look in her sister's eyes. _S-scary!_ "W-well, I didn't say it was a _bad_ thing." She amended nervously. "I mean, earlier you didn't look so sad like usual, and you're not crying so much anymore-" She clapped her hands over her mouth to stop herself.

Hinata, fortunately, did not seem offended by the analysis on her personality. She stared into the distance thoughtfully. "That is true." She said, before drooping slightly. "I just get the feeling this won't last."

Before Hanabi could inquire what her sister meant, there came a meow from below. Both girls looked down and saw a black cat sitting by the bench, eyeing them. Hanabi squealed and tried to pet it, but it ignored her and instead jumped into Hinata's lap, purring. Hinata stroked it absently, wondering where it had come from. It couldn't have come from over the wall; the guard would have seen it and taken it outside again. Besides, the courtyard was not near the outside of the compound. Maybe it could become invisible and had sneaked in. Hinata laughed to herself at the idea, but something about it nagged at her. Wasn't there something that could pass unseen through chakra senses? The cat looked up at her and meowed again. Hinata gasped; the cat had green eyes with crossed slits for pupils.

"Mido!" She exclaimed. She remembered Naruto-kun telling her that biomass was invisible to chakra sensors, and that the cat was made of it.

"What?" her sister asked, trying to scratch the feline's head.

"This is Naruto-kun's pet." Hinata explained. "I named it last night when I was being carried."

Mido mewed plaintively. "What is it, Mido-kun?" She asked. "Why are you here? Did Naruto-kun send you to check on me?"

The cat nodded. Hinata smiled at her crushes' thoughtfulness. "Well, you can go back and tell him I'm fine. I'm not mad at him; he won't have to apologize." After a moment, she added, sighing, "He probably will anyway."

Mido nodded again and stood up in her lap. Feeling the feline tense up, Hinata leaned back, wondering what was going to happen. Mido sprang high into the air; at his peak, his fur grew into feathers and his muzzle became a beak. The crow flapped away, leaving the compound and the astonished Hyuuga girls behind him.

"Did you know he did that?" Hanabi asked, watching the bird's flight.

"Part of me did." Hinata replied. She frowned suddenly. "Why do I think I've forgotten something?" There was a moment of silence, in which she desperately tried to remember what she was supposed to be doing.

"Going to meet your team?" Her sister suggested.

Hinata gave a shriek of horror. "Oh shit, I forgot!" She wailed. She dashed out of the courtyard, leaving her snickering sister behind.

(A few minutes later, at some bridge)

Hinata stumbled to a halt at her team's meeting place, panting heavily with the effort of having run all the way there.

"Good morning, Hinata-san." Greeted Shino, pushing up his sunglasses.

"Where were you, Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked forcefully, "It ain't like you to turn up late."

"Shut...the fuck...up, Kiba." She gasped. "I don't need...your bullshit...right now." Both her teammates blinked; Hinata never cursed, no matter how annoying Kiba normally was. She went and draped herself over the railing of the bridge in exhaustion.

Kiba scowled; this bitch needed to be reminded who was the Alpha here. He walked over to her, staring at her backside. Shino saw him and knew what he was going to do. He shook his head fervently, trying to warn his teammate of the peril he was placing himself in. The dog-user took no notice.

Hinata groaned at the pain in her legs. _That's it, no more running for today._ She thought in agony. She stiffened as she felt a hand on her butt. Instantly, the anger she had held back against her father returned in full force. Kiba would regret that action; she knew it was the Inuzuka because Shino was smart enough to not try anything with her.

Kiba gulped as an immense amount of killing intent roared down upon him from the girl in front of him. "Kiba..." She growled, "That hand had better be where it belongs in _one second!_ If it is still there in that time, you will lose it!"

Kiba pulled his hand back quickly. It was not because of her words, but rather the cloud of insects that had tried to swarm his hand. He glared at Shino, who merely pushed his sunglasses as his bugs retreated back up his sleeve. Hinata hung there, burning with fury. _Only Naruto-kun can touch me there! How dare that mutt grab me like that?_

Soon, Kurenai turned up and the team set off to begin their missions. Kiba made sure to stay out of range of Hinata, while Shino walked quietly beside her; she seemed to like him enough to not want to maim him.

(Meanwhile with Team 7)

Naruto walked into Training Ground 7 feeling gloomy.

_What's the matter?_ Kina asked him, _You still sad about upsetting Hinata?_

No answer.

_Aw, don't worry about it; I bet she's already forgiven you._

_I guess so..._ Naruto thought, not entirely convinced. Although, Kina was right, Hinata did seem like a forgiving kind of person.

_I agree._ Alex spoke up. Then he laughed. _I still can't believe that the Kyuubi no Yoko is sticking up for other people. Humans no less._

_Shut up!_ Kina snapped, _I told you, just because you've met other versions of me doesn't mean you can judge me like them!_

_That's not what I meant and you know it._ He retorted.

Naruto tuned out his arguing tenants and sat down by the training posts. Though he still felt guilty about hurting Hinata's feelings the previous night, he could see that he couldn't really do anything to apologize until he saw her. A loud caw cut through his thoughts. He looked up to see a large crow diving towards him. _Must be Mido._ He thought as the crow fluttered down next to him. He'd sent the living jutsu to check up on Hinata to see if she had recovered from her biomass-induced drunken state. "Well?" He asked.

The bird tilted its head, the cross pupils expanding and contracting as it regarded him. Suddenly, a series of sights and sounds blurred through his head, too quickly for him to fully comprehend.

_Gah, what was that?_ He thought.

_Probably your pets' way of reporting to you._ Alex suggested. _It seems like a pretty good method for an animal that can't talk. Come down to your memory storage chamber to view it._

Obeying, Naruto closed his eyes and imagined the dark storehouse of boxes. He opened his eyes again to find himself standing in front of the door, facing into the seemingly endless room. He shivered, the way the shelves stretched into the distance unnerved him. Then, remembering why he was there, he frowned in concentration. "Mido's memory report," He said, "the one on Hinata for today." It didn't hurt to be specific. Like the last time he'd visited, the ground in front of him lit up, creating a ragged path that led forwards for a moment before veering to the right. He followed it.

After a moment, still walking, he glanced to the passing shelves and stopped, puzzled. There was something off about them. He continued walking, glancing down at the stone floor and back at the shelves. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, the shelves were moving past him faster than the floor. _Well, as long as it gets me to the end._ He thought to himself. _Still, this place makes no sense, and it's my mind!_

Finally, he reached the end shelf. On the last box at the end he saw the day's date and the letter M scrawled on the front. He lifted it off the shelves and opened it. Inside was a file labeled 'Report 1.' He pulled it out; inside was a photo of Hinata. She was looking at whoever had taken the photo (probably Mido) with surprise. Naruto lifted the picture to his forehead and muttered "Let me in."

(Inner mind art: Report Recall)

Instantly, his surroundings dissolved around him. He looked around but saw nothing. He couldn't even see himself. However, everything quickly faded back in. He blinked; he was in a large courtyard with the open sky above him. He looked around, taking in the tall trees and flowers. He wondered why everything he saw was so low to the ground. Then, feeling like an idiot, he realized that he was experiencing things from Mido's point of view; he wasn't really turning his head, he was remembering Mido doing it. In the back of his head, he could feel what Mido had been thinking. "Speed up." He ordered, wanting to get to Hinata. Instantly, all motion increased in speed. In a second, Mido had arrived at a bench where Hinata sat with her sister. "Resume!" He said quickly. He didn't want to miss what happened. The cat-he knew he was in cat form somehow-sat by the girl's feet and meowed. She looked down and gasped in surprise. Her sister reached down to try and pet him but he jumped into Hinata's lap before she could. As much as he would like a good petting, he had a mission to accomplish.

"Did Naruto-kun send you?" Hinata asked. He nodded. "Well, you can tell him I'm alright; he doesn't have to apologize." The scene started to fade away, though he heard her say, "He probably will, anyway."

(Report end)

Naruto blinked. _That's it?_ He thought, slightly irritably. _I came all the way down here for that?_ Then he remembered Hinata's words and smiled to himself. "She doesn't blame me, though. That's good." Thinking of what to do when he saw her, he located the storehouse's exit and used it.

Finding himself in the corridor beyond, he turned back and noticed the other two doors. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've been in that room before." He muttered eyeing the door marked 'Skills.' "Might as well see what it's like." He opened the left door and entered.

Inside he blinked. The room was a lot brighter than the other ones, with smooth white walls and decorative pillars. Standing on the floor was an assortment of pedestals with glass cases. He walked up to the nearest one and peered in. Inside were multiple tiny replicas of himself, standing in a pyramid with their fingers crossed in front of them. A small plaque on the front of the pedestal read 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.' Naruto laughed. "I get it: these cases all have a model representing the jutsus I have! That's clever." He wandered among the others, examining them. The one reading 'Chakra concealment' showed a copy of Naruto fading away into invisibility. There was one that showed a hovering shuriken, with two transparent shuriken floating on either side. It read 'Kage Shuriken no Jutsu.' After examining each case, he left. "Alright, I've looked at two of the doors already." He muttered to himself, "I'd better check the last one, even though I've been there before and there's likely nothing new."

Opening the DNA door and walking onto the balcony, he was surprised to see Alex standing by the railing, staring into the spacious chamber at the floating double-helix. Sitting with her back to the rail, pouting slightly, was Kina. She looked up and, seeing him, jumped to her feet, rushed and glomped him, her bushy tail wagging. "Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed joyfully. "Nice of you to visit; I missed seeing you."

Naruto was torn between smug satisfaction at the fact that a pretty girl had missed him and feeling embarrassed at the sensation of her large breasts being pressed into his side. "Eh, n-nice to see you too, Kina-chan." He stammered, blushing as she rubbed herself on him contentedly. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be back in the Sealing chamber."

"I'm here because he is." Kina said, jerking her head at Alex, who still had not moved. "I figured it would be preferable to being left by myself; that would be boring. But I've got no clue what he's doing. He's just staring at your DNA and muttering to himself. It's really weird." The entire time she'd spoken, she had not detached herself from him.

At that moment, Alex came out of whatever trance he had been in and turned. He saw Kina clinging to his landlord and grinned. "Well, someone's been busy, eh kid?"

"Shut up." Naruto growled. "This isn't what it looks like."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I know it isn't, dumbass, I was joking. But I also know that you're enjoying it, if I'm reading that right."

Naruto looked down and that saw he had become quite aroused from Kina rubbing her breasts on him. He quickly covered his crotch, the movement dislodging the fox-girl from his side. She fell on the floor but was on her feet again in a second. "Hey, what was that for?" She complained. "I was just getting comfortable, too!"

"You were clinging to his side." Alex deadpanned, Naruto being too embarrassed to speak, "In my experience, that's generally not a very comfortable position. The back tends to be a lot better for comfort. Or the front, but he wouldn't be able to see where he's going."

"N-never mind that." Naruto interjected, still slightly red, "What were you just doing?"

The corner of Alex's mouth twitched. "Straight to business, eh? I was reading your sequences; pretty much one of the few things close to literature in this place."

Naruto groaned. "What the hell are you talking about now?" He asked tiredly.

The older man sighed. "Never mind, I'll explain it some other time."

"No, now I'm curious." Naruto insisted. "What do you mean, reading? How can you read something like that?" He indicated the giant twisted ladder floating in the distance, "That looks pretty unreadable to me."

Alex chuckled. "Alright, if you want to know so badly...you remember Storia?"

"He was the guy who recruited you into the Gormim." Said Kina.

"Yeah, him. You see, Storia has a special ability. He can take written words and peel them off of any surface. Then he takes those written words and makes them into spells. Spells are basically like jutsu," He explained to the confused Genin. "But different. Anyway, Storia's magic tends to involve special magical languages, each with a special effect. One of those languages he taught to me, because he saw how I could make use of it. It is simply called Language Prime."

"What does it do?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

Alex scratched his cheek, thinking. "Storia once explained it to me like this: Language Prime is life, and its spells are the living. If you were to look at someone with an understanding of it, you would see that they are, in fact, made up of one continuous sentence of Language Prime. And if you were to read this sentence, you would see that it describes them perfectly. In other words," He concluded, pointing behind him at Naruto's DNA, "It's DNA made into text. Because Storia taught it to me, I'm able to look at a person's genetic code and read it, allowing me to better understand what traits they carry in their body."

"Wouldn't you be able to do that anyway, because of your Blacklight powers?" Naruto asked, but Alex shook his head.

"It is true that I can use traits I have with the traits of people I have consumed, but that is just a sort of instinct. Understanding Language Prime, and thus reading a person's DNA, provides a better understanding of what I can potentially do."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Naruto said, "So, without this language, you wouldn't be able to know what was in a person when you consumed them?"

Alex screwed up his face. "Not in detail; I would just have a general idea. But if I were to read your genetic code, like I was just now, I would see exactly what kinds of sequences make you up. If you inherited a bloodline from your parents, I would know. If you got that large-"

"Oi!" Naruto barked, while Kina giggled to herself, eyeing Naruto's crotch hungrily.

"-from your father, I would know. In short, if I were to finish reading that," Again, Alex indicated the double-helix, "I would know everything there is to know about how your body works. There is another benefit as well: if I can understand every sequence of your DNA, as a shapeshifter, I would be able to change my own DNA to mimic yours." To demonstrate, he closed his eyes. A wave of blackness passed over him, leaving only a silhouette. It started to shrink and distort. Then it dissipated, leaving Naruto to stare at an exact replica of himself, down to the mismatched eyes, orange clothes and whisker marks. "You see?" Alex asked, using Naruto's voice.

"Y-yeah..." Naruto stared. The entire process had taken about two seconds, the result of which was quite disturbing. "I-I think I should go. My team will probably have showed up by now."

The other Naruto merely smirked slightly. "Go then."

(Real world)

Naruto's eyes snapped open. He took a deep, shuddering breath. For a moment, he sat where he was, quivering. Then he noticed a pink head a few inches away from his face, staring at him with green eyes. "AAAAAAH!" He yelled.

The head (which was in fact Sakura) fell back in alarm with a shriek of her own.

"Log, dobe! What's got you all riled up?" Asked Sasuke, who sat on one of the nearby logs.

Standing up, Naruto said shakily, "B-bad dream. Is sensei h-here yet?"

Sasuke glanced sidelong at his teammate. He decided not to press the issue of whatever was bothering the blond. "Nah, he's late again. By the way, your cat's a crow again."

"I know that, teme." Naruto retorted, having calmed down a bit. He stretched, grimacing. "He has a name by the way; it's Midori, Mido for short."

"Green?" asked Sakura skeptically, hands on her hips. "What the hell kinda name is that?"

"It's his, pinky." Naruto shot back. "Hinata named him for his eyes."

"He does have some pretty weird eyes." Sasuke said critically, getting a glare from the avian in question, "By the way, what happened last night? Did you get her home alright?"

"Eventually." Naruto's suddenly gloomy expression told Sasuke to not question him further. Sakura, meanwhile, was looking back and forth between her two teammates in confusion.

"What are you two talking about? What does Hinata Hyuuga have to do with this?" She asked loudly.

"That's my business." Naruto said flatly.

Sakura raised her fist threateningly. "Naruto..." she warned.

Her blond teammate glowered back at her, silently daring her to try it. She'd hit him too many times over the previous years for him to continue taking it. Even now, he could not remember just why he had taken the blows in the past. Neither could he remember the reason as to why he had ever had a crush on her in the first place; Hinata was much cuter than her, and a lot nicer.

"Drop it." Sasuke told her, "If he wants to keep it to himself, let him."

Sakura looked like she wanted to argue, but finally turned away with a huff.

Kakashi chose that moment to arrive. "Sorry I'm late; I got lost on the road of-"

"Yeah, real fascinating." Naruto interrupted disinterestedly, walking off. Mido fluttered up onto his shoulder as he went.

The Jonin scowled at the lack of respect from the boy and looked at his other Genin, who just shrugged before following their teammate.

(Hokage Tower, later)

Iruka was bored. It was his turn to pass out the missions today, but so far hardly anybody had shown up except for Kurenai's team. They hadn't stayed for long. They had just taken a D-rank mission and gone, leaving him with no one to talk to.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" He looked up to see Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura with Kakashi standing awkwardly over them.

"Naruto!" Iruka grinned. "How are you?"

"Meh, been better." Naruto shrugged.

"Here for your mission?" The Chunin asked.

"Yes, in fact, we are." Kakashi cut in. He was slightly peeved that Iruka had acknowledged Naruto before him and had decided to assert himself. "Let me see those."

The silver-haired Jonin walked up to the stack of D-rank of missions and picked up one of them. He smiled as he saw the title on the scroll. _Perfect._ This would make Naruto pay for the earlier disrespect he had shown, as well as the bear trap. Kakashi still couldn't figure out how the blond had known to put it right where he would show up, but it demanded retribution all the same.

He turned to his team, eye-smiling. "It looks like the Daimyo's wife's cat, Tora, has escaped and needs to be tracked down. That ought to be a good one to start with."

The members of Team 7 groaned. They really did not want to spend the day looking for a lost cat. But, unfortunately, their sensei's word was law. They set out.

A while later, after asking the villagers if they had seen the cat, they had managed to track the wayward feline to a small wooded area.

"Alright, we can do this." Naruto told his panting teammates. After a day spent running around the village searching for a cat, they were exhausted while Naruto was barely winded. He silently thanked his Blacklight powers for providing him with increased stamina. "How difficult can it be to catch a cat?"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Kakashi warned, glancing over the top of his book. "That cat has been running away since _I_ was a Genin. In all those years, it's only gotten better at hiding from the teams sent to find it." He went back to reading his porn.

Naruto deadpanned at his teacher while Sasuke and Sakura stared at their teacher in horror. While a cat wouldn't be too hard to catch, a cat that knew how to actively avoid capture was a different matter entirely. "It would have been nice to know that before, sensei." He said irritably.

"What difference would it make whether it's sooner or later?" Kakashi asked lazily.

"It might not have," Naruto shrugged. "But as our sensei, you're supposed to tell us stuff like that. What if we went to fight an enemy and died because you held back information? Our deaths would be on your head."

Upon this revelation, Kakashi looked as if Naruto had just punched him in the face. He paled and started shaking, the faces of his old team flashing before his eyes. _On your head!_ They echoed at him.

His current team stared at him as his eye clouded over and he stood as still as a statue.

"What did you do, dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"I...I have no idea." The heterochromic blond replied, sweatdropping nervously. _I think you broke him, Alex._

_You said it, not me._ Was the snide reply.

_Well, you told me to say it! And you knew he'd react that way, didn't you?_

_I knew _something _would happen. He'll recover._

"Oi, baka!" A voice cut through Naruto's mental retort. He looked up to see Sakura shaking a fist at him and quickly stepped out of range. "What are we gonna do without sensei now?" She demanded.

Naruto rolled his mismatched eyes. "He wasn't going to help us in the first place, pinky. Whether he's conscious or not won't really make a difference at this point; we still have to catch the cat."

"Don't call me that!"

"And how are we going to do that?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his pink-haired teammate. "You heard him: that cat's been avoiding capture for years!"

Naruto frowned, trying to come up with an idea. Ideally, they needed to be fast enough to catch up to Tora. Sakura obviously couldn't do it and neither could Sasuke, they were tired from running around the village after their quarry. He himself might be able to run at a sufficient speed; the trouble was, he wouldn't see where he was going and would probably smash into something. Even if he could make himself denser with biomass, he did not relish the thought of running head first into a tree. No, what they needed was something like...like... A burst of inspiration came to him as he looked at the black bird perched on his shoulder. "Mido: cat form, now!"

The crow nodded, its biomass body melting into that of a feline.

"How's that going to help?" Sakura asked.

"Simple, pinky." Naruto replied over her loud 'Oi!' "What better way to find a cat than with another cat? One that's on our side, no less."

Mido meowed in agreement and jumped off his master's shoulder, quickly vanishing into the woods.

Sasuke asked "Now what?"

"Now," Said Naruto, "We wait."

They didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, a mental signal from the minor biomass entity appeared in Naruto's head. "He's got him." He said, running into the forest. "Come on!"

Sasuke and Sakura chased after him, leaving Kakashi, still in his shocked state, behind. The three of them quickly found the two cats; they were wrestling each other, Mido restraining a snarling brown cat with a red ribbon, who desperately tried to run upon seeing the Genin team. Sakura quickly pulled out the picture of their target and checked it. "Yeah that's him: Tora, the cat of the Daimyo's wife."

_No shit, Sherlock._ Thought her male teammates. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke reached into the writhing, spitting mass and pulled out Tora. The cat furiously thrashed around in the dark-haired boy's grasp, trying vainly to bite him.

"Ow, stop that you stupid cat!" Sasuke grunted, nearly dropping Tora as his arms were scratched.

"Ooh, glad I'm not carrying him." Naruto said, grinning.

Suddenly Mido, who had been forgotten on the forest floor, did something unexpected. His body began to change again, becoming thinner, longer and sinuous, his legs melting into his abdomen and the fur on his body separating into hard black scales. The large snake reared up and struck, chomping down on the cat's leg. Tora gave a yowl and went limp.

There was a stunned silence. Then...

"YOU IDIOT!" Sakura screamed. Naruto was as shocked as the others at Mido's behavior, so he didn't notice her until she decked him. He reeled in surprise and toppled over, slightly dazed. "What are we gonna do now?" She demanded furiously with an undertone of fear, readying another punch. "When the lady hears about this, we are dead; and it's your entire fault! Your snake is the one that killed the damn thing!" Before she could hit Naruto again, however, Sasuke grabbed her hand. He had Tora's limp body draped over his shoulder.

"Calm down, Sakura. The cat's not dead."

She froze, her fist still raised. "Not dead?" She asked incredulously.

"It seems not." Said Kakashi, who had appeared in their midst without warning. Sakura shrieked, Sasuke gave a loud oath, and Naruto twitched from where he lay. "It looks like that snake's bite injects paralytic venom into the victim."

"W-where did you come from, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked. "I thought we left you at the edge of the forest."

Kakashi didn't say anything but glowered at Naruto, who had sat up. Naruto sweatdropped at the look on his sensei's face. _Shit. He looks re-eally pissed. He's not going to forget about that comment in a hurry._

"Let's get that cat back to the Lady Daimyo." Kakashi said sternly. "We wouldn't want to keep her from her precious Tora, now would we?"

Though his voice was light, his team heard a dangerous undertone that told them that to argue was to invite injury. So they meekly set off, Naruto stopping to pick up Mido, who was still in his new snake form. As he walked, he examined the serpent. Just behind its head, he saw that there was something that looked like a small mane made of scales that were a bit larger than the others. Prying open the mouth, he saw that instead of having a pair of fangs like a normal snake, Mido had a series of tiny, but very sharp-looking, teeth.

_Well, that's something you don't see every day._ Alex murmured in fascination. _I think a good name for this form would be a Maned Cobra._

_What kind of benefits would this form have?_ Naruto asked. _I mean, it is a Blacklight snake._

Alex pondered for a moment. _Well, ideally, it should have an immense amount of strength, even for a snake. It might even be able to change its length and tie up enemies, which is useful. Also, there's the fact it paralyzes what it bites...I wonder if it could produce different effects?_

Alex and Naruto kept up their discussion until they reached the Hokage tower. When they had been waved into the office, they found the old man talking with a rather...large woman with many rings on her fingers and a fair amount of make-up on her face.

"Tora!" She cried, seizing the prone cat from Sasuke's arms and smashing it to her chest. It quickly became clear to the Genin why Tora was always running away. With the constant suffocation he apparently suffered, why wouldn't he? "Where were you, Mommy was so worried about you and-" She stopped and took a good at the limp animal. Then she looked up and asked coldly. "What did you do to my Tora?"

Sakura and Sasuke quickly pointed at Naruto, who gulped. Mido, as if sensing danger, coiled himself protectively around Naruto's neck; his head level with his master's.

"Um, w-well," Naruto began nervously, under the glare of the noble, "We decided that it would be safer to us and the cat if he was, uh, temporarily paralyzed."

"Safer?" She asked incredulously. "In what way?"

Well, that put Naruto on the spot. Thinking quickly, he said, "If he could move, he might try to escape again. And if that happened, there's no telling where he might end up; like the Inuzuka dog kennels."

The lady cringed at the thought. "I think I see your point. Are you sure it's temporary, though?"

_No._ He thought. "Yes." He said. Then, trying to be convincing, he added, "It'll wear off in a few hours."

Looking relieved, she turned to Sarutobi. "Well, Hokage-dono, I believe that the time has come for me to take my leave."

He nodded, "As you say, Shirai-dono."

With that exchange, she left. The moment the door slammed shut behind her, Naruto sagged and dropped into the nearest chair. "Whew!" He gasped, "That was close." He gave his teammates an upside down scowl. "Thanks for the help, by the way. Really appreciated."

"You handled it fine by yourself." Kakashi said dismissively, engrossed once more in his Icha Icha. "Mission complete, Hokage-sama."

"I can see that, Kakashi." The Sandaime said tiredly. "Well done, you three. You will receive payment for a D-rank mission. Naruto, here's your check."

Perplexed, Naruto leaned forward to take the envelope. Seeing his ward's look of confusion, Sarutobi explained in an undertone, "It's for my bank account, to ensure they don't try and cheat you out of your earnings."

"Thanks, Jiji." Naruto whispered back. He stood up to leave.

Outside, he ran into Team 8 coming back from their own mission. All three of them were rather dirty and tired looking, while their sensei looked relatively more composed.

Kiba just growled and glowered at him. He seemed to be in a pretty bad mood; had he tried to get Hinata to go out with him?

Shino nodded politely at Naruto, who nodded back uncertainly.

Hinata looked the most tired, but she smiled when she saw him. "Hello, Naruto-kun." She greeted, "Is that Mido around your neck?"

"Yeah," He replied offhandedly, "He can turn into a snake now; it proved kind of useful on the cat we were chasing. By the way, are we going to meet at the bench today, or what?"

She thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. How does four or five sound?"

"Uh, sounds good, Hinata-chan." He said nervously. Why was he nervous? It wasn't like it was a date or anything. "So I'll see you then?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but a shout of "Oi! Hinata!" made her look over and realize her team had gone without her, and she scurried off, throwing a "Hai!" over her shoulder back at him.

(Later, outside)

_Now what?_ Naruto asked Alex as he strolled through the village.

_Get your money from the bank?_ Alex suggested. That seemed like a good idea to Naruto, so he went with it. Half an hour and several disgruntled bank tellers later, he left the bank in a better mood, his frog purse fuller than it had been before.

_Again, now what?_

Alex rolled his eyes. _How about you get yourself a new jacket. I remember you saying you wanted one with a hood._

_That was two days ago._ Naruto sweatdropped. _How the hell can you remember a passing comment that far back? It's uncanny._

_As a Blacklight, as well as a Gorem, having a good memory is important. It's inherent._

_If you say so..._

_I do._

It took him the better part of two hours to find a store that wouldn't chase him out on sight. Finally, with a burst of intelligence, he **henge-d** into a different person and walked back in. Then, it took him ten more minutes to find a jacket that was the right size, but he eventually came away with a dull orange jacket with a hood, among other clothes. One thing bothered him, though, was that he'd gotten them at a far lower price than he normally paid.

_It's probably because you're under a henge._ Kina said a little sadly. She knew that it was her fault that he was overcharged.

_Are you serious? I know they hate me but..._ Naruto shook his head, _to go as far as deliberately overcharging me! Bastards._ Still, he took advantage of the discount his henge got and returned home with more clothes than when he had entered. As a testament to his concentration, he was able to keep the **henge** up until he got home, causing the villagers to not even give him a second glance.

At Naruto's apartment, after putting down the clothes he'd bought, he decided to change into his new jacket. _I mean, I did buy it to wear._ He thought, _Why not now?_ Putting on the new clothes, he noticed that they felt a lot looser, more comfortable than his old ones. Looking in the mirror, he saw that when he had his hood up, the upper part of his face except for his mismatched eyes became covered in shadow, giving him a mysterious look. _Not bad._ He thought appreciatively, _and it's orange, so I can still work on my stealth like before!_ Mido, who was back in his snake form, decided to take advantage of his master's looser clothes; coiling around Naruto's torso and arm under the jacket, his head resting on the back of Naruto's hand near the sleeve's edge.

He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and saw that there was half an hour remaining. _Might as well get there early._ He reasoned to himself. He exited the apartment. The moment he was outside the building, he looked to see if there was anyone nearby. Seeing no one, he crouched and began gathering biomass into his legs. He felt the strength in his muscles grow, though the muscles themselves did not change in size. Biomass really was an odd thing, adding strength in such an impossible way. But then, as Alex always reminded him, Blacklights were capable of impossible things. He sprang into the air, his strengthened legs propelling him a considerable distance. When he landed, he did not slow down in the least but jumped again, traveling even farther. This, he thought, was the way to travel; the feeling of moving at great speed through the air just by jumping was an exhilarating one. He gave a whoop as he leaped into the forest, heading in the direction of their bench.

(Naruto and Hinata's clearing)

Naruto soon arrived at the meeting spot. He landed heavily and looked around to see if Hinata was there. Seeing that she wasn't, he sat down on the bench. "Now, to wait." He said to himself. "What should I do to pass the time?"

_You could come back here!_ Kina suggested brightly. _Alex has been talking about something new that has appeared here, but he won't tell me what it is. It's driving me nuts!_

Naruto rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he had learned, Kina could be quite irritating when she wanted to know something. He had also learned that she was very persistent and nagging; so, closing his eyes, he focused on the sealing chamber.

(Mindscape)

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in one of the wooden chairs he had made for the room. _Interesting,_ He thought to himself, _because I was sitting on the bench when I came here, I appeared on a chair, to make it seem like I'm still sitting._

"Naruto-ku-un!" Yelled an excited voice.

Naruto looked up just as Kina tackle-glomped him off the chair. Due to the height his head had been at, his face ended up jammed into her breasts as she wrapped her arms around his head.

"Hey, Naruto-kun!" She said cheerfully as he squirmed underneath her.

"K-Kina-chan!" He gasped, trying not to be suffocated, "Get off! I don't like being molested."

Kina smirked and sat back on his hips, where she felt him getting hard. "Not according to this thing, you don't."

Naruto blushed, but stubbornly said nothing.

"Leave him alone, Kina-chan. There'll be time enough for that later." Said a voice. Kina jumped and looked around to see Alex standing over them, an amused expression on his face. "Like the new look, by the way Naruto-kun. You look like a younger, orange version of me."

"That's not what I was going for. I just felt that I'd outgrown my old clothes and wanted a change."

"Be that as it may..." Alex shrugged. "I have something to show you. It might make things more interesting. Let him up, Kina-chan."

Kina grumbled, but let Naruto stand anyway.

"Thanks." He muttered to the elder hooded man.

"Don't thank me;" Alex mumbled back, "You have no idea what you're missing."

Naruto sweatdropped, but asked, "What is it you want to show me?"

Silently, Alex pointed at a spot on the floor near him. Naruto and Kina followed where he was pointing and saw set in the stone floor, an iron manhole cover. Embossed on its surface was a strange red symbol, resembling three crescent moons placed back to back, with a circle going through all three (AN: A biohazard symbol). After a moment of expectant silence, Kina rolled her eyes and asked exasperatedly, "What is it, Alex? Why is a manhole so damn important?"

Alex looked up at them and grinned excitedly. "It's the entrance to my own mindscape. Because my soul has been bleeding into yours, our mindscapes have become linked."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "That sounds pretty cool. So, apart from having some new stuff to look at, what benefits does that grant me?"

Alex deliberated for a moment. "Well, if someone were to invade your mindscape, like if they were interrogating you, you could retreat to mine, which is deeper down and protected. The beauty of it is that nobody would think to look for a mindscape inside a mindscape so anything you wanted to hide would be safe. Also, eventually, you will be able to access the contents of my mindscape, such as the abilities I've collected over the years, and use them yourself. However, I would advise against that for the moment."

"Why?" Naruto asked, slightly put out.

"Because you've got to get through this with your own power." Alex said firmly. "I may help you sometimes by tweaking your body or DNA a little should the need arise, but apart from that you should use your own abilities. Abilities you get from consuming someone are alright, as well as using youki when you become able to use it."

Naruto thought about this. He could see the point that Alex made; if he was always relying on skills that weren't his, he wouldn't bother improving his own. He'd be wasting his talents, and that just wouldn't do. "You're right. I won't ask you for your power unless it's really necessary. Now, let's see what goes on inside your mind, shall we?"

Alex grinned, glad to be able to show off. "Why yes, yes we shall."

He held out his hand towards the manhole cover and closed his eyes. As Naruto and Kina watched in anticipation, they witnessed his arm transforming into a tendril of black smoke, which waved lazily for a moment before drifting downward and encircling the iron circle on the ground. There was a groan as the cover turned in the stone floor, and then it too dissolved into smoke, leaving a dark hole with a ladder at the side. The smoke retracted and reformed itself into Alex's arm.

He gestured to Kina, who, along with Naruto, looked amazed at the small display of power. "After you." He said, smirking.

They glanced at each other uneasily before Kina walked slowly over to the hole in the floor and lowered herself down the ladder, quickly vanishing into the darkness. After a moment, Naruto followed, leaving Alex standing in the empty stone chamber. The Blacklight smiled to himself before chuckling out loud, the sound echoing sinisterly around the room. By the time the sound died away, Alex had disappeared.

Naruto climbed down the ladder a short distance before he reached the ground. Letting go, he looked around and saw Kina a short way away and jogged over to her. It was only once he was next to the fox-girl that he took in his surroundings.

They were standing in the middle of a black street that must have been as wide as a house. On either side were silver buildings, buildings so tall they seemed to reach the sky and were covered in mirrored windows. The buildings continued in a line down the street as far as the eye could see, except for gaps where more roads intersected theirs. The sky above them was the deep black of night, scattered with stars, but the most attention-drawing fact about it was the moon, or rather moons; there was a series of about 30 or so, arranged in a straight line. Each one was in a different lunar phase, with the ones on either end being full moons and the ones on the inside becoming progressively smaller until they reached the middle, which was the light-ringed circle of an eclipse. Despite the darkness of the sky above, the buildings and ground showed up clearly, as if the sun was shining down on them.

"What do you think? Impressive, isn't it?" Said a voice. Naruto spun around and saw Alex walking toward them. Kina, however, did not give any sign she'd heard him.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. I gotta admit, Alex, you got some serious style!" He looked around at the buildings around them. "Is this what it's like in your world?"

An odd look passed over Alex's face for an instant. "Yes...it was. My home city of New York. Those buildings were called skyscrapers, for obvious reasons."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, they sure look like they do. Scrape the sky, I mean. Why the hell is everything so damn huge, anyway? Even the sky looks like it's too far away."

The brown haired man's face went blank. "I suppose that's what happens when you live for thirty-four thousand years." He said quietly, "one's mind must grow to adapt and hold all the knowledge."

Sensing that his friend was uncomfortable, Naruto cast out for a different topic. He glanced at the myriad of moons. "Are those normal in your world?"

Alex laughed lightly. "Nah, I just made that up myself. Having moons like that in reality would probably violate a few laws of science or something."

"Weird...hey Kina-chan, what do you think of all this?" Naruto asked. There was no answer. "Kina-chan?" He looked around and saw her still standing where she had been a few minutes ago, staring into space. Frowning, he walked around and looked at her face. His eyes widened. Her expression was that of awe and sheer terror, her breath was coming in short gasps and she looked pale. Naruto looked at Alex, panicking. "I think she's gone into shock or something! What should we do?"

"We should leave." Alex said darkly. He snapped his fingers and with a jolt, they were back in the stone chamber of Naruto's mind.

Kina jumped as the confines of the chamber sprang back into view. She gave a sigh of relief, glad to be away from the towering buildings that had loomed above her in the city. As the legendary Kyuubi no Yoko, she had always been the largest thing around, causing everything to scurry away from her demonic wrath. That city on the other hand... She shuddered. In her smaller, nearly powerless human form, the sheer vastness of the cityscape had absolutely terrified her. _Never_ had she felt so tiny and inconsequential. Like the size of the world around her would swarm in and crush her.

"You alright?" Alex asked her.

She turned and said wanly, "Next time, warn me when we're gonna go into a place like that!"

"How was I supposed to know that you're agoraphobic?" Alex retorted flatly. "Besides, you've always been fine around those enormous bars on the cage! If I'd known, I would have altered the mindscape."

Naruto blinked. "You can do that?" He asked.

Before Alex could do more than give him a deadpan stare, a distant voice sounded throughout the chamber. _"Naruto-kun? Can you hear me?"_

"Oh shit, it's Hinata-chan!" Naruto said. He'd forgotten that he was supposed to meet her. He closed his eyes and quickly flung himself out of the mindscape.

(Real world)

His eyes snapped open and he raised his head to see Hinata's face inches from his own. She jumped back at his sudden movement. "Naruto-kun!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning guiltily. "Sorry about that, Hinata-chan. I was in my mindscape, talking with Alex and Kina. But before I tell you about all that how's your day been? What was your mission about?"

Sighing, Hinata sat down on the bench next to Naruto and began talking. "This morning, I woke up feeling pretty good, which is kind of weird, considering."

Naruto snorted despite himself. He remembered her telling him how horribly her family (minus her sister) normally treated her. He could see how waking up in a good mood would be pretty abnormal.

"But then Hanabi-chan reminded me that I had to go see Tou-san about my team placements, which pretty much ruined my mood." She told him about the pseudo-conversation she had had with her father, as well as the fury she'd felt in his presence. "I'd never felt so angry at a person, Naruto-kun! I could've killed him, I was so mad!" She said, waving her arms emphatically. Then she put a hand on her chin and said thoughtfully, "I think whatever you did to me last night had some sort of side-effect."

Naruto had watched the expressiveness with which she had conducted herself, sweatdropping. _I'll say it did._

"What _did_ you do to me, anyway?" She asked him suddenly, causing him to stiffen.

"Um, I'll tell you later." He said evasively, "What happened after that?"

And so, Hinata told him how her day had progressed. Naruto fumed quietly when he heard about Kiba grabbing Hinata's ass, but laughed when she told him how, during their mission of pulling weeds for a farmer, the dog-using boy had pulled up every plant he could find whether it was a weed or not, earning the wrath of their employer. "That's pretty much it." She told him half an hour later, finally winding down. "So, now will you tell me what happened last night? By the way, I like the new clothes; they make you look...older."

Naruto grinned at the praise. Then, with some trepidation, he said, "Well, when you knocked yourself out on my head, I was kinda panicking. I thought you'd given yourself a concussion or something, so I asked Alex for help; he told me to try transferring biomass to you, apparently the stuff is pretty a powerful healing agent."

"Did it work?" the pale eyed girl asked innocently.

The blond Jinchuuriki grimaced. "Not in the way it was supposed to. When you woke up, you were acting all weird and stuff, like you were drunk."

Hinata blushed slightly. "You don't have to tell me any more, Naruto-kun. I remember the rest of it. But why am acting differently? It's like my own aggressive emotions have come to the surface."

_I think the biomass that's still in her body is amplifying her repressed emotions and making her more assertive._ Alex told Naruto. _Most likely, it will wear off by tomorrow. I can't say for certain, but that's my guess, as the biomass expert here._

Naruto relayed this to Hinata, who sighed sadly. She had enjoyed being more outspoken that day. Then, wanting to forget about it, she looked up and said, "So, tell me how your day went."

Naruto shrugged and told her about his earlier session inside his mindscape. The Hyuuga was fascinated by his description of Language Prime, as well as Storia's apparent powers. "So, if his abilities involve written text, does that mean he could be considered a sealing master?" She asked, thinking about the Caged-Bird seal that all the Branch House members bore. If this man could peel words off a page, then removing a seal like the Caged-Bird would no doubt be a trivial matter to him!

(Scattered Foundations library)

Storia looked up and sniffed. "Huh. Am I a sealing master, she asks." He shook his head and looked back down, smirking.

(NaruHina clearing)

Naruto heard Alex snort. _To Storia, all things can be controlled with the written language. Seals are just another such language to him._

"Alex says yes." Naruto reported in deadpan. Hinata giggled and gestured for him to continue his retelling. He obligingly told her about his team being assigned to catch Tora and how Mido's assistance had helped them subdue the runaway cat. He held out his hand. Mido slithered out of his sleeve onto his palm to look up at Hinata. She gently lifted him up to examine his mane of scales as Naruto continued. "Anyway, after we got the cat back and I got these new clothes, I decided to come here early. Then, since I had nothing to do, I went into my mindscape again." And so he told her about the new connection between his and Alex's mindscape. She gasped when he told her about the massive city that had made up the Biomass entity's mind.

"Wait," she said suddenly, a thought occurring to her. "If his mindscape is underneath yours, and you didn't even climb down very long, how could it be high enough to have a sky?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It's a mindscape; it doesn't have to make sense. The two may be connected, but they are physically separate realms of thought."

Hinata nodded, giving a quiet "Ah..." of understanding.

"Hinata-sama." Said a cold voice. Both Naruto and Hinata looked up to see a boy standing at the edge of the clearing with a hostile expression. He wore a tan shirt with black shorts and long brown hair down to his shoulder-blades. On his forehead he wore a Konoha hitai-ate over some bandages, which he also wore on his right arm and leg. His cold, pale, pupil-less eyes identified him as a member of the Hyuuga clan.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, this is my cousin, Neji." Hinata said, though Naruto noticed that her voice had gone flat, devoid of any warmth.

_Whoa, she must _really_ not like this guy._ He thought, looking back and forth between them. _Wonder why that is...actually, this guy looks kinda familiar somehow._

"Hiashi-sama wishes for you to return home now." Neji told her. "You are to have a test against your sister."

Hinata flinched. If there was one thing she hated, it was when she had to fight Hanabi. She knew that, when it came down to it, she just could not bring herself to hurt her little sister. She just reminded her too much of her dead mother. As a result, Hanabi would routinely wipe the floor with her and bring her legitimacy as clan heiress into question. How she had avoided being branded with the Caged-Bird, she would never know.

Naruto saw Hinata flinch at the newcomer's words and instantly disliked the boy even more. Anyone who would deliberately cause his friend pain was definitely someone to despise. "How did you find us?" he asked aggressively. He stepped in front of Hinata, blocking her from view.

Neji's lip curled derisively as he met Naruto's accusatory gaze evenly. "The Byakugan allows me to see all." He said, with an air of smugness. He activated his bloodline to demonstrate. "It was a simple matter to find her chakra signature."

Naruto opened his mouth to make a rude comment (he really just felt like insulting the prick at this point), but Hinata said quietly, "It's alright Naruto-kun. I'll go."

They both knew that it was not alright, but Naruto grudgingly stepped aside for Hinata to walk over to Neji anyway. Neji, however, stared at him as if just noticing his presence. "You are...Naruto Uzumaki, are you not?"

"Yeah..." Naruto answered apprehensively. For some reason, this guy was really starting to seem familiar. "What about it?"

Neji smirked. "Nothing. I'm just surprised that a dead-last like you was made a Genin."

With that, it clicked. Naruto's eyes brightened as he recognized the boy; he was one of his classmates from last year! "Oh, now I remember!" He said cheerfully, "You're that asshole who got made Rookie of the Year."

Neji's eye twitched at being addressed as such. Before he could challenge the insult, however, Hinata said firmly, "Let's _go,_ Neji-nii-san. See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun!"

"Bye Hinata-chan."

The dark blue-haired girl strode out of the clearing. Her arrogant cousin stayed for a moment longer, scowling at Naruto with blatant dislike. "Whatever relationship you think you have with Hinata-sama will never go far." He said coldly, "Nor will you yourself ever surpass me. It is your fate to always remain the dead-last, along with her."

Naruto bared his teeth in fury. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed red with slit pupils and when he spoke, his tone was low and guttural. "You may be her cousin, Neji, but if you insult her like that...if you belittle her just like the rest of the clan..." A thin haze of red energy formed around him, barely discernable from his orange jacket. _"I will eat you!"_ He snarled.

Neji backed up as Naruto pressed his Killing Intent down on him. He tried to squash the fear that it caused, tried not to let it show on his face. Only one of these was successful. Suddenly, the KI raining down ceased, and Neji quickly turned to leave. It wasn't that he was running, he told himself, he was just following Hinata-sama home. The moment his back was turned, though, Naruto's eyes flared green with a crossed pupil. Simultaneously, a mark appeared on the Hyuuga's back; three crescent moons pierced by a circle. _You are mine, Neji._ Naruto thought savagely, _One day your body and power will belong to me!_

Only Alex heard this declaration. Sighing, he looked around the stone chamber, taking in the wisps of red youki still drifting through the air. When Naruto had lost his temper at Neji, it had caused the seal to weaken and expel some traces of the Bijuu-chakra it kept contained. This had quickly been absorbed by Kina who, having not expected the surge of power, had promptly passed out. _Things are moving a bit ahead of schedule._ He thought grimly.

(Hyuuga Compound)

Hinata and Neji arrived home, having walked in silence. They passed the guards and entered the compound. The halls seeming quieter than usual. Soon they encountered Hiashi, who looked up from Hanabi as they approached. "I have retrieved Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama." Neji said stiffly.

"Very well, Neji, you may go." Hiashi acknowledged with a nod.

Neji turned on his heel and left, his back straight, his anger at being ordered around barely contained but still apparent. _Who can blame him, with the way this family treats his?_ Hinata thought bitterly.

"Hinata." Said Hiashi in a cold businesslike tone, as if forgetting entirely about Neji, "After the talk we had this morning, I did some thinking."

Before she could stop herself, she interrupted him. "Let me guess: you're going to make me fight Hanabi, right?" Seeing the annoyed look that passed across her father's face, she felt a slight smugness, though she didn't show it. _This courage may not last past tomorrow, but if it'll let me stand up to my father even a little, it will be worth it._

"That is correct." He said finally, "It will be to mark your progress as a ninja. It will not affect your status as heiress."

Said heiress' mouth twisted angrily. "How generous of you." She said bitterly. _And I just started being a ninja!_

Hanabi cringed at the blatant rudeness her sister was showing to their father. She knew that, when the time came for them to fight, he would not allow her to show Hinata any mercy for the insult. And she, coward that she was, would obey. As much as it pained her to hurt her older sister, who had been her only friend since she was young, she feared her father more. Hanabi had seen the punishments that Hiashi had given Hinata when her training slipped; she would do anything to avoid her father's wrath. She was only grateful that her Onee-sama was such a forgiving person.

Fifteen minutes later, they stood in the clan dojo, facing each other. Both of them got into the standard Jyuuken stance, preparing to begin.

_"Gomenasai."_ Hanabi mouthed at her.

Hinata nodded sadly; she knew why her little sister fought so hard against her. Then she steeled herself. This time, she told herself, she would not go down without a fight. She would use her temporary confidence while it lasted. Even if she lost, she would face the pain head on!

(Scattered Foundations)

Storia lifted his hands from the Oculus and leaned back to stare sightlessly at the ceiling. Without his glasses, it was a meaningless blur to him. "Fight on, brave Hinata." He murmured softly. It was times like this that his heart really went out to the girl. But what could he do? He was a Narrator now; he could not yet take action to help her. Somewhere behind him, he heard the quiet 'swiff' of someone using a high speed technique of sorts. "Is that you, Vaga?" He asked. He put on his glasses and turned around. The tall, bandolier-wearing Gorem stood calmly before him, carrying a large pack on his back. "You're ready to go?"

"Yes." Vaga said simply, "The food I have should be sufficient for a few weeks and I brought a few artifacts with which to defend myself."

"How insightful." Storia muttered to himself drolly. He reached into the collar of his shirt and withdrew the chain of a necklace, at the end of which hung a tiny golden mask.

Vaga frowned at it. "Isn't that way a bit unstable? Don't we have other ways of traveling?"

Storia shrugged irritably. "Yes, but this way's the easiest and most reliable. You might get hurled out at high speed, but you'll be in the right world." The black-haired Farwalker nodded apprehensively and gestured for him to proceed. Storia concentrated, his hand closing around the tiny replica of the mask. **"Olmak!"** He cried.

With a roar, a swirling portal of blackness tore itself open in the air to the side; lightning crackling loudly from its center. After a moment of hesitation, Vaga strode over to it and stepped in, vanishing into the dark, lightning-riddled energy. The portal slammed shut behind him, leaving Storia alone at his desk.

"Well, that's one down." He muttered to himself. _Although, I can't help but feel that I'm missing something._

(Naruto-verse, country road)

There was a vast stretch of dirt road in the middle of nowhere, going in either direction. It was fortunate that no one was around, because if they saw a portal tearing itself open in the air above the road, it would have caused a panic. A tall man wearing a double bandolier over a tattered shirt and silver boots stepped calmly down out of the hole and onto the ground. A second later, the portal slammed shut. Vaga took a moment to breathe in the new air. After spending so much time in the non-light of the Scattered Foundations, it was nice to be out in the sun again. Suddenly, he frowned; there was no one around as far as he could see, but he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. "Who is there?" He called.

There was a guilty chuckle to his right. "Oh right, I forgot I had this up." A patch air began to distort and bend, a green glow emitting from it. A blond-haired man with a scarf around his neck seemed to twist out of the air itself, the green glow emanating from his eyes. He wore a teal hakama with a green cloud pattern and random strands of his hair stuck up in all directions like antennae.

"Nord Baro," Vaga said with surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you through the portal," Nord said cheerfully.

"That answers how you got here. But why did you go to the trouble of masking yourself in an illusion so you could follow me?" The Farwalker asked insistently.

Nord scratched his cheek as he thought. "You know about that team Blair's been trying to put together?"

"But of course; she came to me for help in finding them."

The aeromancer smirked. "Well, I'm going to be the Jonin-sensei of that team when they're ready. I figured, 'Hey! If I'm gonna be a Jonin, I may as well build up the reputation of one!' If I'm known in this world as a powerful Jonin-level shinobi, it'll help me get hired for odd jobs, which means I get to make a pretty...what do they call the money in this world?"

"I believe it is called the Ryo." Vaga replied, a thoughtful expression on his face, "You make a good point, friend. There is also the fact that, if you learn about the way this world works, you will have more to teach your Genin when they arrive."

Nord's face brightened even more at this. "True, true! Ya know, Vaga, I think we're gonna have a great time here. What do you think?"

Vaga shrugged. "I hope you are right." He said deferentially. "But I am afraid we will have part ways here. The Voice is telling me that our paths must be separate in order to move more freely."

At the mention of the Voice, the blond's face became serious. "I see. Good luck with your job then, whatever that is. But could you leave me with a way to contact you?"

Vaga nodded and detached one of the brass darts from his bandolier, handing it to his companion. "I trust you know how to use this?"

Nord thought about it. "Yeah, you think about your message and the recipient and then throw it. When you want to open it, you squeeze the fins at the back and twist. Right?"

The black-haired man nodded and turned on his heel, taking a single step. The moment his silver-clad foot touched the ground, he vanished in a blur of speed with a slight 'swiff,' already far down the path.

Nord's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Seven league boots?" He asked himself, "Why the fuck didn't I think of that?"

AN: At long last I'm done! That was a long-ass chapter; my longest one yet. 27 pages worth of writing. Okay, in summary:

1. Naruto learns about Language Prime. Please note that I did not come up with the idea for that, it comes from the book Spellwright. I only borrowed it. Naruto will be taught how to understand the language in the future.  
2. Hinata becomes more confident under the influence of Biomass. This, however, was only temporary. Next chapter she will be back to her shy, stuttering, fainting self.  
3. Kina keeps trying to get into Naruto's pants with limited success.  
4. Mido is now able to become a snake with a mane. The crow, cat, and snake will be his three basic forms, each with their own specialties; the crow is for recon, the cat is fast and stealthy, and the snake can beat the hell out of people with his Blacklight strength and paralytic venom. Mido will be able to perform special Blacklight techniques in conjunction with Naruto.  
5. Naruto accidentally brought up Kakashi's past team. He's not going to forget that about in a hurry.  
6. Naruto sees Alex's mindscape. The 'mindscape inside a mindscape' idea was all mine, completely original. Alex has his own versions of the rooms in Naruto's mind, except bigger.  
7. Neji insults Hinata in front of Naruto, causing him to inadvertently unlock his ability to use youki. However, he still can't use it when calm, or in Konoha since youki is easily detectable and identifiable.  
8. Naruto marks Neji with the Blacklight crest, a biohazard symbol, out of anger. This means that one day Naruto will take Neji's DNA for himself. This, however, does not necessarily mean that Neji will be eaten.  
9. Hanabi beats Hinata because she is afraid of disappointing Hiashi.  
10. Kina is agoraphobic. This may be cured eventually, but in the meantime, she will not enter Alex's mindscape if she can help it.  
11. Kina acts as a youki vacuum. When youki is released from the cage, since it is her power it gets drawn toward and absorbed by her.  
12. Vaga and Nord arrive in the Naruto-verse and get to work. Nord wants to build up a reputation as a Jonin while Vaga does what he does best: traveling around and spreading information. What information is this? You'll see.

Poll status:

Glass/Living art (female) 27  
Metal (male) 23  
Technology (male) 18  
Lightning (male) 9  
Ice (male) 9  
Sound (female) 6  
Stone (female) 5

So far, it looks like Glass, Metal, and Technology are the winners. I will leave the poll open until I finish the next chapter.

Alright, so long, and be sure to leave your opinions and ideas in the form of a review or PM. North South out.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Alright, this is gonna be more difficult to write. I don't have as much of an idea of what to do for this chapter. Mah, I'll go with it. Also, at the advice of Shawa, I have moved this story to the crossover section. To clear up a little confusion, when Vaga and Nord came to the Naruto-verse, they arrived a few weeks before Naruto graduated (a kind of time travelling thing). The reason for this will be made clear.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
_thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
**Jutsu/Technique used**

Chapter 10: Infamy, healing, thoroughly breaking the fourth wall, and troubleshooting

All villagers scrambled out of the way as Naruto stalked past, avoiding the KI that he was emitting. He did not notice, however. His insides were still boiling over Neji's words the previous day. _It is your fate to stay beneath me, along with her._ A low growl escaped his lips as he thought about it again. How dare he say that about her! An insult to him he could stand, he'd been hearing it all his life, but to have his best/only friend called a failure was unforgiveable. He was so wrapped up in his desire to thoroughly maim that pale-eyed bastard that he barely noticed when he arrived at the training ground.

"Oi, dobe, what's with you?"

Naruto whirled around, his fist shooting out. He stopped, blinking in surprise. Sasuke stood in front him, Naruto's fist inches from his pale face. "Eh? What are you doing here, teme?"

"Well, I'm not getting punched in the face." Sasuke said calmly, though his heart was racing. _Holy crap, that was close!_

"Eheh, sorry." Naruto said, grinning guiltily. "I was thinking about someone else."

"Poor bastard." The Uchiha muttered.

"You baka!" Sakura announced her presence, punching Naruto in the arm. "You nearly hit Sasuke-kun!"

"_Nearly_ hit is a lot better than _really_ hit." Naruto snapped back, rubbing his arm. "If I hadn't looked properly, teme would've had his brains splattered all over the field. No offense."

Sasuke only gulped, paling.

"You couldn't take Sasuke-kun, you dobe!"

"Yeah, well I could take _you!_" Naruto said angrily, raising his fist in anticipation. As if in agreement, Mido poked his head out of Naruto's sleeve and gave a quiet 'saaaa...'

"Do I here you threatening your teammate, Naruto-kun?" asked a deceptively cheerful voice. Naruto craned his neck upside down to see Kakashi standing over him, his eye curved in a sinister eye-smile.

"Hey, I didn't start it." Naruto replied, turning around and putting up his hands defensively. "She should learn to put her money where her mouth is. And considering she puts almost no effort whatsoever into being a ninja, she's practically asking to have her skinny ass handed to her." To emphasize this, Naruto flared his chakra, causing his sensei and teammates to take an involuntary step backward due to the intensity. "Now, are we gonna get going or what? Those missions won't do themselves..." With that, he turned and set off, leaving his thoroughly bewildered sensei and teammates behind.

_Naruto...just how strong are you?_ Kakashi thought, _No Genin should have reserves that big! Is it because of the Kyuubi?_

_That wasn't even Killing Intent, but it was so imposing! What the hell are you, dobe?_ Thought Sasuke, not for the first time.

Sakura, of course, merely scoffed at Naruto's display of power and told herself that Sasuke-kun probably had more. Poor, deluded fool.

As they arrived at the Hokage Tower, Naruto glanced around absently and noticed Team 8 approaching, with Hinata limping at the back. "Oi, Hinata-chan!" he called, jogging over to her, ignoring the fact that she was with her other teammates.

She jumped and looked up. "O-ohayo, N-Naruto-kun." She said, blushing slightly.

Naruto stopped, blinking at her stuttering and quiet manner in confusion. Then his expression turned regretful. "It wore off, then?"

Hinata nodded, wincing at a twinge in her neck. "H-hai. It w-wore off when I w-woke up this morning."

_Hey, kid._ Said Alex.

_What is it?_ Naruto thought irritably.

_I dunno whether you've picked up on it or not, but I think she's hurt. It might be _nice_ to ask what happened._

_Oh, right._

_Dumbass._

_Shut up!_ He snapped at Alex.

Hinata saw the scowl on his face and asked timidly, "N-Naruto-kun? A-are you alright?"

Naruto blinked, taking in her round, smooth face. _Log, she's just too cute._ He thought, smiling a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine. You-know-who's just being a dick, that's all." He did not wish to say Alex's name in front of her team, whose current presence he was barely aware of. The Blacklight Gorem had made it clear that only Hinata should know about his existence. "Anyway, how are you? How'd your fight go with your sister?"

Hinata bit her lip and looked away, gripping her upper arm. Naruto glimpsed bandaging on her arms under the sleeve. "I m-managed to get s-some hits in..." She mumbled. "B-but I still failed."

"You did your best. As long as you remember that, you haven't failed anything." Naruto told her fiercely. He patted her on the shoulder, causing her to wince at the contact.

"Excuse me," Said a voice. Both Naruto and Hinata jumped and looked around to see Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata's sensei, standing over them with a look of irritation, "If you're done bothering my student, we need to get to missions."

Naruto felt a flash of irritation but stepped away from his friend, muttering "See you later," In her ear. Then he ran to rejoin his own team.

Kakashi was extremely annoyed that Naruto had gone off on his own. "We are not here to socialize!" He told the hood-wearing boy angrily, "There is work to be done while you're standing around chatting with some girl."

"She's not just a girl!" Naruto said heatedly, "She's my friend, and I won't have a one-eyed, chronically tardy scarecrow tell me otherwise! Besides which, we're doing _D-ranks;_ they can wait a few more minutes."

"With an attitude like that, you'll just go through your life without getting anything done." Kakashi admonished coldly.

"Oh right, the Jonin who's three hours late to everything is telling _me_ not to put things off." Naruto retorted sarcastically.

They argued until they reached the mission desk, where Kakashi quickly chose the most tedious mission for his team. Clearing trash out of a nearby park. It seemed that he wouldn't be scoring any points with his students that day, if all the grumbling and muttered curses were any indication.

Naruto in particular hated his sensei with a passion due to the fact that Kakashi had forbidden him to use Kage Bunshin. _Promotes teamwork my ass!_ He thought mutinously.

(Scattered Foundations)

Storia was jolted out of his Narration trance by a disturbance in his book. He looked down at it to see what the problem was. Words were writing themselves on the blank pages, independent of his observations.

_It is necessary that you observe the past actions of Nord and Vaga._

These words were Storia's version of the driving Voice, or the Plot as he called it. "As you command," He muttered sourly. He did not like being ordered around, even if it was necessary to obey. He placed his hands on the Oculus, activating his Quaternary Consciousness texts and spread his mind out, trying to find his wandering kin. As he did so, under the influence of the Plot, he twisted his perception, looking back into the past.

(Tsuchi no Kuni, one month ago)

Hidate was running for his life. He leapt from boulder to boulder, occasionally looking back to check that his pursuer was still there. Sure enough, he caught sight of a gray-green blur zipping around the boulders behind him. The figure seemed to defy gravity as it flew over and around the rocks in swooping, spasmodic movements without actually touching the boulders themselves. Hidate's hands blurred through the familiar seals and he quickly flicked open his fans, swiping at the air behind him desperately. **"Fuuton: Renkudan! (Wind style: Drilling Air Bullet)"** He shouted. A blast of wind shot out, spiraling towards the pursuing figure, but to no avail. The green blur leaped high into the air, far above the jutsu, where it hung before swooping and gliding gently down to land before Hidate. For the first time, he took a good look at the person who had been chasing him. He- for it was clearly a male -was of medium height and wore a teal Hakama with gray pants. The most striking feature of this man, however, was the green scarf wrapped around his entire head. The only hints at the fact that he even _had_ a head were the strands of blond hair poking out randomly from between the wrappings.

"Hidate Sashimoto," The figure addressed him in a light, casual voice that was slightly muffled by the scarf, "Chunin, B-rank nuke-nin from Sunagakure. Wanted for the deaths of several civilians as well as an unprovoked attack on a fellow ninja. What d'ya have to say for yourself?" He asked, though Hidate heard a joking tone in the question.

"That weakling had it coming!" Hidate snapped. "I wasn't about to take orders from some pansy who had the nerve to call himself a Jonin." He sneered at his adversary, "And now that coward of a Kazekage sees fit to hire some nobody to try and take me out. That's just insulting."

"Hey now," The green clad man said, offended, "I may not be well known at the moment, but soon enough, once I start bringing down big bounties like you, I'll be a big name to some people." He then tilted his concealed head thoughtfully. "Well, first I'll need a name for people to remember. Ya got any ideas for one?"

The Sand Jonin blinked at him, taken aback. "I...what?"

"You know," he prompted, "A nickname; a moniker. Something everybody will think of when people see me in action, if they do see me at all."

After a moment of thought, Hidate deadpanned. "I've seen you in action and from your movements; I'd say you remind me of a big, green moth."

There was another moment of deep silence as the assassin stared at Hidate. Or at least, he thought it was staring; with that scarf it was hard to tell. Then, finally, the no-name hit man gave a thumbs-up. "That's a good one," He said seriously, "Alright, I've decided! The name of the guy who'll kill you is Ga!"(The Moth)

The nuke-nin face-faulted. "Are you kidding me!" he yelled, a tick-mark pulsing on his temple, "That's gotta be the dumbest thing I ever heard. And what'ya mean, 'the man who'll kill you?'" He crossed his arms in front of him, ready to release another jutsu. "As if a clown like you could kill a trained shinobi like me!" He swiped both fans out in front of him. **"Fuuton: Daitoppa! (Wind style: Great Breakthrough)"** A gust of wind roared out in front of him towards the newly named Ga.

The blast threw up an immense amount of dust, but Ga merely stood in the attack, completely unaffected except for the flapping ends of his scarf. "Are you done?" He asked once the gale had died down, "'Cause if you are, I'll be killing you now-" He stopped as he noticed that his quarry was gone. Fortunately, the assassin could still clearly sense him; the nuke-nin had tried to trick Ga by running back the way they'd come. "Nice try," He muttered, "But your speed won't get you away from me." He concentrated, drawing from within himself the power that had been afforded to his family. **"Kadin!"** Instantly he shot into the air and soared off in pursuit.

"What the hell was that guy?" Hidate grunted to himself as he ran, "That Daitoppa didn't even make him stumble! Maybe I shouldn't have antagonized him..."

"No," agreed a voice from above him, "You probably shouldn't have." Ga suddenly dropped out of the sky to land on a rock, facing Hidate.

"What?" Hidate gasped, "Where'd you come from? How'd you catch up so fast? And how did you know to find me? That blast should've thrown up enough dust to blind you!"

Ga merely stood there patiently while his prey fired off questions. Finally, when Sashimoto had quieted, he spoke up. "Tell me, oh observant Chunin, how am I supposed to have been blinded? My eyes can't see anyway."

With a jolt, Hidate realized that his adversary was right; the scarf that the bounty hunter was wearing not only hid his face, but also his eyes. The man was as good as blind! "But then," He asked hoarsely, "How do you keep finding me? Nobody in their right mind would hire a blind man to take out a ninja, and you've been tracking me to every hideout I've tried!"

The green man threw back his head and laughed. "My poor, confused man," He chortled, "How else do I sense you, than with the same way a moth senses incoming danger?" As he spoke, the hairs poking out of the makeshift turban began to sway as if in a breeze, though there was none. His voice took on an eerie, echoing quality, as if speaking from a great way away. "I merely pick up the disturbances in the air. No matter how quiet you are, or how much you conceal your chakra, you still make a breeze as you move. And when you do...I find you. But now? Now you can no longer run. You have no more safe-houses. You are already dead. Goodbye, Hidate Sashimoto."

Hidate took a step back, his fans at the ready. He wouldn't lie, he'd found that speech unnerving. "What're you talkin' about? I'm not dead yet. You're the one who'll be dying!" He shouted. With a battle cry, he rushed at his would-be killer, his dual fans glowing with wind chakra, ready to slice into flesh. However, halfway toward Ga, his defiant charge was halted by a loud *SMACK!* He slammed headlong into...nothing. At least, it looked like nothing; there was nothing visibly obstructing him as far as he could see. Yet he could clearly feel a solid wall in front of him...

Ga snickered to himself. The look of dazed confusion on Hidate's face was just priceless. _You'd think he'd never run into a wall of solid air before,_ He thought amusedly. Then he sobered, remembering what he'd been hired for. He held up his left hand, the index and middle fingers sticking out. With a little effort, a three-foot, glowing green blade of wind chakra extended from the digits, humming slightly. **"Kaze no Yaiba." (Blade of Wind)** He intoned. With a flicker of movement, he stood next to the missing Sand-nin, his wind-blade pointing back over his right shoulder. Before the man could do more than turn his head and stare, Ga whipped his arm out until it was straight, the glowing blade slicing clean through his adversary's neck before dispersing. There was a moment of silence before Hidate's head rolled off, blood spraying from his severed neck and his body hit the ground. "I told you," Ga said to him, unraveling his scarf to reveal a pair of gray eyes. The blond strands of hair still stood out, "You're already dead." He picked up the severed head and looked at the surprise frozen on its face. "Don't give me that look; we both knew that's what I was hired for."

Sighing, he sealed the head in a scroll and planted an exploding tag on the body. As he turned to leave, however, something else on the ground caught his eye. Hidate's battle fans lay abandoned beside his body. _Well, it's not like he'll need them,_ he thought, picking them up. Upon closer examination, he saw that instead of being made of paper like most fans, these fans were made of strips of- presumably -chakra conducting metal with sharpened edges. This meant that the fans could not only be used to augment Fuuton jutsu but also, if used properly, would make effective close-range weapons. "These will be a great help," he muttered, staring at the dark blue of the metal with clouds etched into the surface, "I've had need of a fitting weapon for a while." He flicked the fans closed and slid them into his pockets, turning to go. **"Kadin!"** Drawing on his auxiliary power, his eyes began to glow green as he rose into the air and flew off. As he left, the exploding tag he'd left behind ignited, consuming the corpse in a small fireball.

(A few weeks later)

Vaga sat in a bar near the border between Mizu and Kusa, thoughtfully staring into his empty mug. Over the last few weeks, many travelers such as himself had come to bars like this one and talked of current events, allowing him to gain an idea of what was going on in the world. Lately, rumors had been spreading about a new assassin on the rise who called himself Ga. Vaga, however, knew him by a different name: Nord Baro. The Farwalker had recognized his Fellow Gorem's hand in a few of the recent assassinations. Very few people had the ability to fly away like that unassisted. After a while, questions had started to crop up about Ga. Was he a ninja? What were his abilities? Where did he come from? Vaga had spent most of his time providing answers to those questions and subtly spreading the information. It was now common knowledge that the man known as Ga was indeed a ninja, though from which village nobody knew. They did know that he was more than capable of bringing down high-Chunin to mid-Jonin missing-nin, no matter who they were.

"Oi Vaga, that you?"

Vaga looked up in surprise. Sitting a few stools away, a look of astonishment, was a middle aged, cheerful looking Iwa-Jonin; Kune Wabara. He and the Iwa-nin had met a while back when he had been spreading rumors about Nord's alias. Kune had been disbelieving of Vaga at first, thinking that the Farwalker had no idea what he was talking about and just talking his way out of paying for his drinks. However, after a chance meeting with Ga himself that confirmed Vaga's words, the burly man had had to admit that he was reliable.

They had parted company afterwards, though Vaga suspected that the old Tsuchikage was making Kune follow him around. The two of them kept running into each other in places such as this. He didn't have the faintest clue how the large man was keeping up with him, but that didn't matter very much. As long as he was here, Vaga wouldn't have to worry about having to pay for his own drinks.

"It _is _you," Kune cried, grinning. He patted the empty stool next to him, "Join us, why don't ya? I'd like you to meet one of my students."

At this, a girl with short black hair and pink, pupil-less eyes poked her head over his shoulder, frowning with curiosity at Vaga. He met her gaze evenly before saying to the Jonin, "Sure thing, Wabara-san."

He muttered under his breath, **"One step, five feet,"** and tapped the toe of his boot on the floor. With a flicker, he was suddenly seated in the stool Kune had indicated. The Iwa-nin and the girl both jumped, the Genin drawing a kunai, as if expecting an attack.

"Kami, Vaga," Kune gasped, a hand at his chest, "I've told you a hundred times to stop doing that."

"And after a hundred times, I have not stopped," Vaga replied stoically, "You would think that would tell you something. Moving on, who is the girl? I thought you were supposed to have three students."

Kune looked a bit sheepish. "I did, but the boys have already gone back to the room. We were celebrating the end of a mission but they couldn't hold their sake."

Storia leaned back to look at the girl, raising an eyebrow. "And you chose to stay with him?" He asked her, "That must have been dull."

"Someone has to keep him out of trouble," She said shortly. She stared at him apprehensively for a moment and then said abruptly, "Kurotsuchi." She held out her hand.

"Vaga Farwalker," He replied, smiling wryly. He shook her hand and then looked back at Kune, "So, Wabara-san, how long have you been teaching? You were going solo when we first met."

Kune put a hand to his chin, thinking. "Not that long," he mused, "We just finished our first C-rank mission, which is why we're celebrating. Escorting a fruit merchant to the edge of Kusa."

_So he is not following me,_ Vaga thought neutrally, _it really is just a coincidence._

Kurotsuchi looked sharply at her sensei. "Kune-sensei, you're not supposed to be telling people that! What if he was a spy from Konoha?" Then she blushed, remembering that Vaga was right next to them. "Um, I-I mean..." She tried to amend quickly.

"None taken," Vaga said calmly, waving off her apology, "Although, you are right to be cautious. I am, in fact, a person who deals in the spread of information, though I am not a ninja."

As he spoke, the girl stiffened, instantly becoming suspicious at his easy admission. Kune, on the other hand, laughed. "Yeah, information on select subjects," He chuckled, "He says things that have no proof to back them up, just to get people to pay for his drinks."

Vaga snorted himself and shrugged. "Well, never let it be said that a Farwalker ever sank to the level of paying for himself. Besides, what I say does have truth in it. What is wrong with making a profit from telling the truth?"

Something about his words nagged at Kurotsuchi's mind, but before she could voice her question, Kune asked his own. "Speaking of which, ya got any new info on our green fluttering friend? Do you think the Elemental Countries are ready to know where the famous Moth came from?"

Vaga raised an eyebrow, a half-smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, which he slapped on the bar in front of the gray-brown-haired Jonin. Kune took one look at it and groaned. "Yes Vaga, I'll pay your damn bill! I guess I should be grateful you don't drink much..." He grumbled.

Kurotsuchi giggled at her sensei's exasperation. It was obvious that he'd done the same thing many times before.

Vaga smiled ingratiatingly and folded his hands on the counter. "Much appreciated. Let's see..." He mused, "From where did the Moth hatch, do you ask? I will tell you. Can I be sure that this shall reach the Tsuchikage's ears? Yes? Good. Ga springs from a village that has never been seen or heard of by any of the five great villages. This is because it only came into existence recently. So far, Ga is one of the only ninja to leave it, though this may change."

"What is it?" Kurotsuchi asked. She felt like kid listening to an old story from the slow, slightly hypnotic way that Vaga spoke.

The tall, black-haired man tilted his head, as if trying to remember something. Only Kune knew that he was just acting, stalling for suspense. "The village..." Vaga said slowly, "Is actually only a village in name. In reality, it is a single roving clan, though they have enough military power that they have the right to refer to themselves as a village. The name of that village is... Ma-Nigakure no Sato." (The Village Hidden in Between)

There was a long silence following these words. Finally, Kune asked, "This might sound stupid, but what are they between to get that name?"

Vaga merely shrugged enigmatically, smiling. "Who knows?" He stood up, "I must be off. The road calls and I have my own job to do. A pleasure to meet you, Kurotsuchi-san."

"Ah...thank you," she said, a bit surprised as the man towered over her. She had not thought him to be that tall when he'd been sitting down.

"Actually, would you do me a favor and remember what I have said?" He jerked a thumb at Kune, "With the amount this man drinks, it might be forgotten by the morning, and I need the knowledge of Ma-Ni's existence to spread. Will you help it along?"

Kurotsuchi stared at him. She'd only just met him, and already he wanted her to do something dubious. This village might not even exist and she'd just be making everyone believe that it did. But at the same time, she found that she liked his polite manner and didn't want to refuse him. She nodded.

"Good," Vaga said. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I hope you grow to become a ninja to surpass your grandfather."

Her eyes widened as he straightened, a knowing gleam in his eye. He turned on his heel and just like that, he was gone. Kune glanced out the door, scowling. "That man knows too much," He grumbled, "Though _how_ he knows is a complete mystery. That's Vaga Farwalker in a nutshell, he knows what he shouldn't, and tells what other people don't."

"Do you-do you think he'll tell anyone...?" She asked nervously.

"About who your grandfather is? No," Kune answered, "It probably goes against some Farwalker code of his; he only says things about Ga. He never gives away information that harms innocent people."

"Farwalker..." she said, frowning, "Now that I think about, that's a weird name."

"It's more of a title than anything," He said, "He told me that, where he comes from, a person is named for what they do. A Farwalker is a messenger of sorts. The people of his country don't have any ninja skills; instead, they apparently have special powers depending on their profession. For instance: a Farwalker has a sense of when he needs to walk, as well as where he is needed. They always end up reaching the person they are delivering to."

Kurotsuchi stared at him in surprise. "You seem to know an awful lot about the subject, sensei." She said, slightly awed.

"Not really," The Iwa-Jonin shrugged, "Vaga just likes to explain things. Although, he still hasn't explained how he moves around so fast. I didn't even see him leave, did you?"

Kurotsuchi merely shook her head.

The pair of them sat in silence for quite some time, wondering about the mysterious man and the supposed new village he spoke of.

(Scattered Foundations)

Storia growled. "Damn you, Vaga," He said angrily, "You've gone and informed pretty much the whole of Iwa that we exist. Now we'll have to get involved! Not yet though; not until the Exams..." Then he shook his head, trying to clear it. "But enough of the past," he said firmly to no one in particular, "That was weeks ago. We must get back to the present. What has young Naruto been doing?"

(Konoha, present time)

Naruto was currently walking through the forest, as usual. He fumed, thinking of a few choice words, and jutsu, that he'd like to give Kakashi. _It's not the fact he had us cleaning the park,_ He told Alex and Kina indignantly, _Though that's insulting enough. No, the problem is that he banned me, _banned_ me from using Kage Bunshin when it would have helped the job immensely! How the hell would not using it promote teamwork? I can already tell that Kakashi Hatake and I will _not_ be getting along._

_Can't help ya there, Naruto-kun._ Alex said, transmitting a shrug, _and, not to add to your troubles, but you do realize that Sasuke's tailing us, right?_

_Of course I know that!_ Naruto snapped, _you're sensing what I do, remember? And since I've been training to sense chakra...ya get the point?_

Meanwhile, the hapless Uchiha followed a few meters behind his orange-wearing teammate, darting between trees. _What the hell is your power, dobe?_ He thought angrily, _if I could just figure out what it is, I could try to use it myself in my fight against _him!_ But first, to see how he trains. That might tell me something._

Sasuke abruptly looked up from his thinking and saw, to his astonishment, that Naruto had vanished. He looked desperately in all directions. "Oh, come on!" he shouted, "How can a guy wearing all _orange_ disappear into thin air?"

In answer, a large hand clamped down hard on Sasuke's shoulder, causing him to stiffen in surprise and not a little fright. Then a deep voice whispered in his ear, "I don't know, maybe he trained in stealth. By the way, that whole, 'hide behind the trees' thing was only cute when Hinata did it."

With all the dignity of his Uchiha blood, Sasuke screamed loudly and spun around, his hand lashing out for a backhand. However, his wrist was caught in a strong grip inches from Naruto's wooden expression. To his credit, Naruto didn't even crack a smile at the scream. "What do you want, teme?" Naruto growled, letting go of the dark-haired boy's hand, "I'm not in the mood to play oblivious stalk-ee with you. You're disturbing my walk. Why?"

Sasuke gulped. While he was a good four inches taller than Naruto, the expression on his face thoroughly intimidated Sasuke. Naruto was slightly hunched over, furthering their difference in height, but he glared up at his teammate, the shadows of his hood displaying his mismatched eyes, which said, 'I will break you if you push me.'

All thoughts of spying on this aggressive person quickly fled Sasuke's mind. Fortunately for his health, most of the anger suddenly drained out of Naruto's face and he sighed. "Sorry, Sasuke, but I'm kinda pissed off with Kakashi right now. This probably isn't a good time for questions," A slightly hopeful gleam came to his blue eye, "Unless you want to spar. I'm up for that."

To his horror, Sasuke found himself saying, "Alright. Though, I've still got a few questions for you after I win." _Wait what! What am I doing? No!_ He thought desperately. But it was too late, now his Uchiha pride was preventing him from taking back his agreement. To do so would, in his own mind, bring shame to the memory of his family. _Meh, maybe it won't be too bad,_ He reasoned to himself.

"We'll see, teme," Naruto said, a feral smirk finding its way across his face, "I warn you though, I hit hard."

He turned and bounded through the trees to the nearest training ground, with Sasuke following, wondering what the hell he'd just gotten himself into.

(Training Ground 62)

The two sparring partners came to a stop in a large open field, far enough away from the village that they would not be disturbed. Sasuke and Naruto faced off against each other.

"You ready for this, teme?" Naruto called, grinning in anticipation.

"Ready when you are, dobe." Sasuke replied, with a feeling of foreboding that he suppressed stubbornly.

Mido, who perched on Naruto's shoulder in his crow form, let out a caw and took off, wishing to sit this fight out. As the crow-shaped Minor Biomass Entity took to the air, the combatants sprang toward each other. Naruto, fueling his legs with biomass, took great leaping strides toward Sasuke, reaching him in a second and swinging his leg out horizontally for a kick at his face. Sasuke ducked beneath the kick and aimed a punch at Naruto's face as the blond landed. Naruto dodged and grabbed Sasuke's wrist before spinning into the inside of the dark-haired boy's guard, preparing to throw him. However, Sasuke was too fast and **Kawirimied**, a log thudding to the ground at Naruto's back. "Amen," The orange-wearing boy murmured reflexively, bowing to the holy wooden cylinder, "But you won't get away that way." He placed his hand on it, feeling the traces of Sasuke's chakra in the wood and mingling his own with it, along with a little biomass to ensure that his idea would work. **"Tōi Kawirimi," (Distant Replacement)** He snapped. With a flicker, the log switched places with Sasuke again.

The Uchiha stumbled, looking around in astonishment. "How...?" He started, but Naruto's right hook to the jaw quickly silenced him. Before he could hit him again, Sasuke somehow managed to leap back out of the range of those fists. "What the hell did you do to my technique, dobe?" He yelled, nursing his aching jaw. _Log, but that hurts! He wasn't kidding when he said he hits hard._

"I just did a technique that allows me to switch two objects besides myself," Naruto explained, smirking, "I just used the chakra you left in the log to trace you. It's that simple."

"Bullshit," Sasuke muttered, "That's supposed to be impossible. How in Log's name do you keep inventing such weird jutsu?" He yelled. _Every time I think I know all of his tricks, he goes and pulls another one out of his ass!_

"I'm freaking talented!" Naruto shot back. He ran at Sasuke and, when he got near, simultaneously spun and crouched, balancing on his hands and one leg. The other leg shot out and nailed Sasuke straight in the stomach. Sasuke was sent flying several feet, where he landed hard on the ground. He curled up, clutching his stomach and trying desperately to breathe.

"Oops," Naruto said, pulling down his hood and rubbing the back of his head guiltily, "You alright, Sasuke?"

"No..." Sasuke croaked, "Breathe...can't!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "J-just wait a moment;" He said nervously, "You'll be fine once you get your breath back. Sorry about that."

Sasuke tried to growl at the blond idiot, but could only manage a pained wheeze. "How the hell are you so strong?" He asked with difficulty, "And what would I have to do to get you to teach me?"

Naruto tilted his head at his Uchiha teammate, a blank look on his face. "It's something that can't be taught, only transferred. And no, I won't give it to you. I don't even know how, and I don't know you well enough," He said, "Also, without that, you wouldn't be able to learn my jutsu," He saw Sasuke about to protest and said quickly, "_Because, _most of them require a special form of energy that you do not possess. It would be pointless to even attempt them."

Sasuke, who had sat up during this explanation, stared at Naruto. "You make several good points," He said grudgingly. Then his face hardened, "But I will learn your secrets, dobe. And when I do, I will be ready to-" He broke off, looking away. Naruto saw anger smoldering in the Uchiha's eyes, though it was not directed him. What it was directed at, he didn't know.

Naruto sighed tiredly. "Sasuke," He began, "You don't need my powers to get stronger. Just improve and learn what _you_ are able to. Build on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Try and see if you can squeeze a jutsu or two out of that asshole of a sensei we've got." He smiled bitterly at that.

As he finished giving Sasuke advice, Naruto suddenly received a pulse of images from crow-Mido. _I wondered where he'd got to,_ he thought. The images showed Hinata sitting at their bench. "Now if you'll excuse me, Sasuke, I have an appointment to meet. At least make sure that my words don't go flying out the other ear." He ran off.

Sasuke just stared after him. _Don't think your valid advice will distract me for long, dobe. I will learn your secret!_

(Naruto and Hinata's clearing)

Hinata sat at the usual bench, with Mido in his cat form and lying curled in her lap. She ached all over. Although her fight with Hanabi had not gone as disastrously as she had feared, her younger sister had definitely scored some painful hits; and, considering the properties of Jyuuken, her muscles were going to be killing her for the next few days.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Called a voice. Hinata jumped and looked around to see Naruto enter the clearing.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She blushed and smiled at him, "H-how are y-you?"

"Well," Naruto replied casually, "I just came from kicking Sasuke's ass, so all things considered, I'm great!" He walked over and sat down, causing her blush to intensify from the close proximity to her crush. "So, how've you been?" He asked.

"I've b-been better," She admitted, rubbing at her leg with a grimace of pain.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, staring at her shaking hands and noticing her wincing, "You got that from your fight, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah," She said, "We were using J-Jyuuken, which usually d-deals a large amount of internal d-damage, and H-Hanabi-chan went for my l-legs, so it really h-hurts to walk." She broke off with a pained hiss.

Naruto looked at her sympathetically. He didn't like seeing his friend suffering. "I can heal it if you want."

"E-eh?" Hinata looked up in surprise, not sure if she had heard properly.

Naruto's mouth went a bit dry. "I said," He began slowly, holding up his hand. A wispy black aura swirled around the edges, "I can make you feel better. Do you want me to?"

Hinata blushed at these words. "W-what will you d-do?"

"Well, I can use biomass to repair any damage to your muscles. The thing is I need to be in contact with the affected area in order for it to work." He explained.

Hinata's eyes widened as she processed this information. _Naruto-kun...touching me? Touching my legs?_ A feeling of excitement blazed up in her as an uncharacteristically wide grin grew on her face. "Yes, Naruto-kun," She said sweetly, turning and putting her legs up on the bench, "Please...make me feel better."

Naruto felt his face heat up at the tone of her voice and the slightly perverted grin on her face as the voices in his head both burst out laughing. _I like this girl,_ Kina giggled, _she doesn't seem so shy about getting what she wants._

_What's that supposed to mean?_ Naruto asked her, still a bit bewildered.

_You'll understand eventually,_ Alex told him amusedly, _in the meantime, do as she bids. Wouldn't do to keep a lady waiting._

Naruto sweatdropped at the slightly mocking tone in the mature Blacklight's words. With some trepidation, he raised his hand and slowly lowered it onto the pale-eyed girl's thigh. He activated one of his eyes and, through the contact his hand had on her leg, was able to see the underlying muscle as well as the damage that needed repairing. He began to channel biomass, drawing it on the inside of his hand before forcing out and through the point of contact into the Hyuuga girl's leg. Then he manipulated the biomass in the muscle to start healing the muscles that were damaged. As he worked, he noticed that the damage mainly consisted of highly concentrated chakra burns and jagged tears in the muscle. _Jyuuken is some pretty nasty stuff,_ he thought.

Hinata wondered what Naruto-kun was doing. As far as she could tell he hadn't done anything apart from put his hand on her leg, to her embarrassment, and narrowed his eyes. For a moment they just sat there, the boy of her dreams with his warm hand on her thigh. Finally, she decided to ask what was happening. "A-ano, Naruto-kun? W-what are you...?" She broke off with a gasp as an indescribably wonderful feeling of warmth surged through her from the hand on her thigh. It was as if she was being filled with flames, though there was no pain; on the contrary, she had never felt such pleasure in her life. And he hadn't even moved his hand! Her breathing became shallower as the extraordinary warmness reached her head, a feeling of light-headedness dimmed the sights around her as she moaned quietly.

Naruto heard her moan and looked up from transferring biomass. His Hyuuga friend had her dark-blue-haired head thrown back; her eyes were squeezed shut as she panted quickly. "Are you alright?" He asked in alarm, taking his hand away, "Should I stop-"

Instantly she sat up, her eyes wild, grabbed his hand and forced it back onto her leg. "No!" she gasped, "Don't stop! Keep going!"

Perplexed, Naruto went back to what he was doing, forcing his biomass to repair her injured limb. When he finished with one particular spot, he slid his hand along her leg to another and began healing that, distantly noting how soft her thigh felt to his touch, even through the pants she wore. This is how the next fifteen minutes passed; with Naruto diligently moving his hand from one place to another while Hinata writhed and moaned loudly under his touch. He had to admit it; the sounds of her moans were seriously starting to turn him on. However, he needed to keep his mind on the task at hand; if he did not keep a grip on the amount of biomass he was feeding into her, he might lose control and end up giving her too much, which would cause her to become drunk again, and he _really_ didn't want to deal with that. So he pressed on.

Hinata, meanwhile, was going out of her mind with pleasure. The sheer amount of bliss rolling through her body drowned out all coherent thought as she felt a somewhat familiar warm wetness between her legs. She couldn't even muster up the strength to care whether Naruto-kun noticed or not.

"Well, that's it," said a voice. Hinata's eyes snapped open as the hand left her other thigh, "You're all healed now," Naruto told her, a bit wearily.

"Nooo..." She groaned, feeling the warmth starting to drain out of her. She lay there for a moment, remembering the mind-numbing pleasure she had just felt. "Naruto-kun?" She said quietly.

"Hm?"

Hinata sat up and looked at the blond boy with half-lidded eyes. "Please...promise me you'll do that again some time." She said, a slightly pleading note in her voice.

Naruto blinked at her. Surely it hadn't felt _that_ good, had it?

_Oh, for god's sake, Naruto!_ Kina shouted exasperatedly, _she was out of her mind and moaning for more just a few seconds ago! Of course it felt good!_ Inside the mindscape, she turned to Alex, annoyed. "Seriously, this guy has very little sense if he can't tell when a girl is being pleasured by his touch."

Alex nodded, his face a bit exasperated. "Don't worry; I'll straighten that out eventually."

Meanwhile, Naruto was assuring Hinata that he would indeed do that again if she wanted it so badly, to which she emphatically replied that she did.

"Well, now that that's been cleared up," He said, leaning back in the bench and glancing sideways at the girl, whose face was still flushed, "What should we do now?"

Hinata shrugged, her face still rather flushed. "W-why don't we bring Alex into this? I'm sure he has some th-things to tell us." Due to the amount of biomass that had just been given to her, Hinata's stutter had diminished considerably. It was still there, but it was now so minor that it hardly mattered.

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. _What'ya think, Alex? You wanna get in on this? Do you have anything that could make this interesting? 'Cause right now I think we need something to forget the awkwardness of what just happened._

Alex raised his eyebrows, slightly flattered by the invitation. _Certainly. But how am I going to talk to you? I'd rather talk to you both face-to-face, but we can't bring Hinata-chan into the mindscape._

Naruto smirked. _I have an idea._ He made the seal for a Kage Bunshin. However, instead of chakra, He channeled mostly biomass into the seal, with a few traces of chakra mixed in. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

Unlike the other times Naruto had created something with a jutsu, there was no puff of smoke. Instead, the clone merely came into existence, standing across from the two Genin. Both Naruto and Hinata gaped at it. "Well...that's new," Naruto said weakly. The clone was nondescript; it had no face, no eyes, no hair, not even skin. It merely stood there, a sort of mannequin made of a pure black material. It made no movement as they stared at it.

Hinata brought her hands up and strung together the fifteen handseals to activate her dojutsu. **"Byakugan! (White Eye)"** The veins on either side of her face bulged as her vision expanded, allowing her to see in all directions, as well as providing her with the ability to see chakra pathways. She gasped as she directed her gaze at the clone. "It-it doesn't have a chakra n-network!"

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise. He knew from his lessons with Alex that all living creatures in this world had to possess a chakra system; otherwise it couldn't circulate the chakra through its body and would die.

"It has a pocket of chakra at the c-center," She amended, focusing. For some reason, she had to concentrate in order to see through the black surface of the clone, "B-but it doesn't branch out. It's j-just sitting there."

_This will do perfectly,_ Alex told Naruto enthusiastically, _hang on a moment; I need to get in._

_Get in?_ Naruto asked, but then he felt a strange sensation in his head; as if something inside had just slid out of place. The connection with Alex, which he had never really noticed before, had suddenly cut out.

The clone, which had been motionless, began to shake and twitch. The biomass that made it up began to swirl and change shape, the height increasing, the head growing what looked like a hood. Then, the blackness dissipated, leaving Alex Mercer standing before them, grinning. "Not bad, not bad," He said, looking down at himself, "This body's put together pretty well, if a bit weak. Good job." He walked over to them and held out a hand to Hinata. "Nice to meet ya face-to-face, Hinata-chan."

"Um, t-thank you..." she said shyly, shaking the proffered hand. Her Byakugan was still activated and she was interested to find that, when the clone had taken on Alex's form, it had grown a distinct chakra network.

"So," He said cheerfully. He twitched his hand; a cloud of black smoke billowed out of his arm coalesced into a chair, which he sat down on. "What do you want to know?" He asked, crossing his legs in front of him.

Naruto and Hinata glanced at each other, and then Naruto spoke up. "Well, why don't you tell us about your travels? You've probably seen it all, haven't you?"

"Actually, I haven't," Alex told them, "I know for a fact that there are hundreds of worlds out there that I've never even set foot in."

"W-well, tell us about the worlds you _have_ b-been to," Hinata prompted.

"Yeah, like those alternate versions of this world you've been to," Naruto suggested, "You must have some stories about those?"

Alex tilted his head at the blond, considering. "Well..." He began, "I can't tell you too much. Most of it deals with future events, and it's never a good idea to know about those. I can tell you general details, though. For instance," He leaned in towards them, "There are a few worlds where, incredibly enough, Orochimaru is a _good guy!_ Can you believe that?"

"Yes," Naruto said flatly, "I can, because I have no idea who the hell Orochimaru even is."

Hinata, on the other hand, gasped. "H-he's one of the L-Legendary Sannin," She explained to her confused crush, "They w-were a team of three n-ninja who were trained b-by the Sandaime Hokage. Orochimaru, however, was b-branded a traitor and exiled for some reason. He's one of the most infamous n-nuke-nin from Konoha." She looked at the slight amusement on Alex's face to the amazement on Naruto's. "Ano...Iruka sensei m-mentioned it in class," She mumbled, blushing.

Naruto's expression cleared. "Ah," He nodded, "I must've been kicked out that day."

Hinata winced at the reminder of Naruto's treatment. Alex noticed and said sharply, "You don't need to apologize Hinata-chan. Naruto was just being a smartass, that's all."

"Oh, s-sorry..." Hinata muttered.

Alex face-palmed. "An-ny-way," he ground out, "There are thousands of worlds like this one out there. Most of them, including this one, likely following canon."

"W-what is that?" Hinata asked, "You've m-mentioned it before, but you didn't really explain what it w-was."

"Is," Corrected Alex, "Canon is the name given to this multiverse's one original world. The events of the story in canon normally influence events in branch worlds such as this, though some tend to deviate from canonical events over time. An example I _can_ give you of a canon event was Mizuki telling you about the Kyuubi."

"So, that actually happened in the original story?" Naruto asked. He was slowly starting to come to terms with the fact that his entire world was contained in a story.

"Yep," Alex confirmed, "In some worlds, that info can be a pivotal role for you, as well as stealing the Forbidden Scroll in general. Just look at this world; after learning the Kage Bunshin,- which is also in canon, by the way -you showed enough sense to make your clones read the rest of the scroll, thus ensuring that you would have the contents stored perfectly in your memory. Your original self never thought of that, though some of your alternate selves certainly did."

"Ano, Alex-san," Hinata suggested, "Exactly w-what events in c-canon correspond with this world?"

Alex frowned to himself. "Hmm, let's see," He mumbled to himself, "As my sister always said, 'when in doubt, make a list!'" (AN: Actually, it's my sister who says that. She loves lists.)

Naruto and Hinata blinked at each other in astonishment. _Alex has a sister?_ They thought. Alex caught their glance but didn't comment.

"Well, in order, the Kyuubi getting sealed inside you is pretty much the staple event of the series," Alex began, ticking the subjects off on his fingers, "You failing the exam for the third time is pretty major. So is Mizuki telling you to steal the scroll. You knocking out Sarutobi with the Oiroke is not as important, though it's been done a lot. I think personally you did rather nicely on that," He complimented, giving a thumbs-up while grinning, "That was a prime seduction if ever I saw one."

Naruto blushed. "Since I'm actually a guy, I'd rather not hear that from you."

"Well, you really do become a girl when you use that jutsu," Alex told him, "Same when you henge into anything else; your body actually changes. It's because of your status as a Blacklight, even if you're an incomplete one. Techniques that induce shape-shifting are more powerful when applied to you and are easier to perform. But anyway, getting back onto our previous subject, you stealing the scroll, running to the forest and learning the Kage Bunshin is one of the most major events of early canon. So is Iruka defending you and proclaiming to believe that you are yourself, as well as him giving you his headband." He smiled reminiscently, "Good ole' Iruka." Then he thought some more. "After all those, this world started branching off quite a bit. You met me and Kina after just learning about the Kyuubi. That didn't happen in canon. In fact, in the original story Kina isn't even a girl."

_What?_ Naruto heard Kina yelp.

"I don't even exist in canon," Alex continued, "Your first world never had me in it, since I'm from a different world myself. And if I were to try and go there, it would just branch off again and create a new story like now. Let's see...the next event that matches canon was you getting put on the same team as Sasuke and Sakura, although the way you handled that then was pretty different from the original. You didn't throw a pie at Kakashi in canon, either. You just did the usual eraser-in-the-door trick. And the bell test..." He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember, "The only things that were similar in the two bell tests was that Kakashi used the Sennen Goroshi on you in both of them."

Naruto winced and rubbed his behind at the memory. "I still need to get him for that," He mumbled.

Alex's mouth twitched. "Well, that's all the events I can think of up till now."

"Are there a-any other worlds you can t-tell us about?" Hinata asked.

Alex shrugged and began to tell them about a world where almost the entire planet was covered in ocean and pirates ran free, trying to find the treasure of the previous Pirate King. He told them of a boy whose dream was to become the Pirate King, and how he set out with a group of fellow dreamers to fulfill their impossible dreams. They traveled the world, battling evil pirates and the world government, picking up more crew members along the way.

"Why'd you go there?" Naruto asked.

Alex shrugged. "I was a member of that crew for a time myself. It was a pretty fun time."

"H-how?" Hinata asked, "From the w-way you describe them, they seem like one of the most d-dysfunctional groups out there."

"At times, they were," Alex agreed, "but when they pulled together and fought...the battles were truly spectacular. I also got to observe, and steal, a few useful powers."

Naruto nodded and then stood up. "Well, it's nice to know all that, but now I think I've had my fill of information if you don't mind. Now's the time for action for me."

Alex looked up at Naruto from his seat, his face inscrutable. "If you say so," he shrugged, "If you want to train, go train. However, you'll have to do the fighting on your own. This body does not have sufficient combat strength, so I'll be staying here with Hinata-chan."

Hinata looked surprised and quickly tried to tell Alex that that wouldn't be necessary, but the hooded man overrode her protestations. "I'd rather not go back to the mindscape just yet, and I'm guessing you still have things you want to know, right?" _Things you don't want Naruto to hear?_ He thought, a knowing smirk on his face

Hinata blushed, a bit embarrassed by the Blacklight's observation, since it was true. She nodded timidly.

"Well, since that's straightened out, I'll leave it to you," Naruto said, getting up and going, "Come on, Mido."

The cat on Hinata's lap jumped up and ran over to the other end of the bench. He sprang into the air and instantly transformed into a crow, which fluttered onto his master's shoulder.

"Naruto!" Alex called suddenly. Naruto turned back to look at him; "Make sure to practice your Shuriken Kage Bunshin as well as Chakra Propulsion."

"Hai!" Naruto shouted back. He ran out of the clearing, excited now.

"What's Chakra P-Propulsion?" Hinata asked Alex.

"It's a maneuverability technique I came up with," Alex explained. He stood up, dissolving his chair, and sat down on the bench next to Hinata, "It involves a person blasting their chakra out around them, typically from their tenketsu, in order to quickly propel their body in any direction. It's a great help if you need to get out of the way of a fast attack or increase the speed of an attack. Training in it not only improves chakra control by sending the chakra to multiple spots on your body and forcing it out, but it also significantly strengthens and enlarges your reserves. You could probably do it easily, since you have the Byakugan to help you." He paused. "But that's not what we're here for, is it? What is it you really want to know?"

Hinata blanched and asked tentatively, "Alex-san, you've seen a lot of this universe, haven't you? In your travels?"

"More than any other," Alex confirmed, nodding, "Why?"

"W-well..." the Hyuuga fidgeted and started poking the tips of her index fingers together, "I was-was wondering if y-you've ever seen- I mean, if Naruto has ever, um..." She trailed off, looking nervously anywhere but at Alex and blushing furiously.

"You want to know if Naruto has ever hooked up with a girl in other worlds," Alex asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

After a moment, simmering with embarrassment, she nodded.

"And you want to know whether he's ever ended up with you," He continued, grinning now.

Her head snapped towards him, her entire head a glowing scarlet. "W-w-what?" She asked wildly, "Y-y-you know about...about..."

"The fact that you're madly in love with Naruto? Yes," Alex said simply, "And I hate to break it to you, but practically every shinobi in the damn village knows, too. It's kinda obvious just by looking at you when you're with him."

Hinata stared dumbly at him. Everyone in the village knew about her crush? Nearly all the blood in her body rushed to her head as she swayed. Her pale eyes rolled upwards and she fainted. Alex caught her before her head could hit the bench. "Ah," he sighed, smiling ruefully, "Brutal honesty at its _finest."_ He waited patiently for the girl to wake up, until he finally pinched her nose and made her wake up from the need to breathe through her mouth. "So, now you know," He said, calmly watching her gasp for air.

"D-does he know?" Hinata asked tremulously.

"Who?" Alex asked innocently, clearly enjoying himself, "Naruto, or your father?"

The Hyuuga girl paled even more than normal and gave a high-pitched whine of distress. She'd completely forgotten about Hiashi!

"The answer's no, to both of them," Alex assured her, "Naruto just thinks you want to be friends, while Hiashi is just oblivious to your feelings, period. And don't worry, I won't tell Naruto; I'll leave that to you. Just don't take too long, okay?" He asked. A sad look passed over his face briefly, "That kid needs to know that someone like you loves him. If you wait too long, you will regret all the lost time when you finally do tell him."

Hinata looked sad herself. "Even if I do tell him, why would he return my feelings? He likes Sakura-san after all-"

"No, he doesn't," Alex cut in, a bit surprised, "He's given up on her."

The dark-blue-haired girl was astonished. Back since the academy, Naruto had made no effort to conceal his crush on the pink-haired Haruno. He was forever trying to ask her on a date; unfortunately, due to her affections for Sasuke, the requests were turned down via a fist to the skull, much to Hinata's secret anger. It would be a sad day indeed if Naruto ended up with such an abusive girl for a girlfriend... Hinata's blood ran cold as a disturbing thought ran through her head. "A-Alex-san?" She asked through numb lips, "Has N-Naruto-kun ever ended up with S-Sakura-san in other w-worlds?"

Alex grimaced at the question. "Yes, he has," He admitted sourly, "But I don't think that'll be a problem here."

"W-why not?"

"Well, like I said, he's given up on her. A while ago, he had... a dream which led him to decide to transfer his affections elsewhere. He seems to have realized what a loud, rude and violent girl she is." Alex smiled innocently as he said this, which told Hinata that he was more than indirectly responsible for this change heart.

She thought this over for a moment and then sighed gloomily. "Even if he's not interested in Sakura-san, why would he want me? I'm nobody special; I'm just the shy, plain girl with weird eyes. Who'd want to go out with someone like me?"

At this, Alex's face contorted with some unknown pain. He grabbed convulsively at his chest and bent over, as if the self-deprecating words had physically wounded him. Finally, the black jacket-wearing man straightened up and looked her in the eye, and she was surprised to see a small amount of sorrow in his brown eyes, as if he was remembering something. "Hinata," He murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Please... never say that about yourself. You are a very beautiful girl, and extremely kind. Naruto would have to be a fool to not love you back, and trust me, he's anything but that. Don't worry about being rejected by him; he's a good enough guy that he'd never do anything to break your heart like that. Trust me on that."

Hinata's eyes widened at these gentle words. From the blunt, take-charge man she had just met, it was unnerving. Nevertheless, his words stuck in her head stubbornly, reminding her not to have fear. Then something else occurred to her. "Alex-kun?" Alex looked up in surprise at the honorific. Hinata knew she had to ask; she didn't have much to lose, "H-how many worlds are there where he ends up w-with me?"

The Blacklight smiled at her, "More than I can easily count, Hinata-chan. You've got nothing to worry about in terms of probability. The fact that he's already made friends with you is a good sign." Suddenly he frowned. "Unless...aw, crap."

"W-what is it?" She asked.

"I just realized something," Alex groaned, rubbing his brow, "Eventually, the village council will get wind of Naruto's abilities. Since Blacklight powers are identical to a normal Kekkei Genkai, in that it lies in the DNA and body, they will force him under the CRA. In fact, it's doubly likely that they will, seeing as the virus essentially grants every ninja's dream, becoming stronger without end. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Eh?" Hinata asked. She'd heard of the CRA before; it was some sort of law that had been passed by the Nidaime. But she couldn't for the life of her remember what it did.

"The CRA stands for 'Clan Restoration Act,'" Alex explained tiredly, "Basically, if a person is from a dying clan, or has a Bloodline that is on the verge of going extinct, that person has to take multiple wives in order to ensure that the clan/bloodline, does not die out."

"M-meaning..." Hinata began, catching on.

"Meaning you'll have to be prepared to share him," Alex told her bluntly, "Plus, there's the fact that each of the women he ends up with would have to become a Gorem as well."

Hinata blinked at him. "Why?"

He sighed and pulled down his hood, running a hand through his brown, spiky hair distractedly. "When Naruto eventually becomes a full Blacklight, he will stay in this world until the Voice tells us that we must leave. Then he would have to go home to the Scattered Foundation." He shook his head. "When that happens, he would have to leave his loved ones behind, never to be seen by them again." Hinata shivered at the thought of never being able to see Naruto-kun again. "In order to avoid this, any person who becomes his wife would be invited to join the Gormim in order to go with him, to prevent all those involved from spiraling into madness from the heartbreak." He looked up and saw a hopeful look in Hinata's eye.

"W-what sort of Gorem w-would they be?" She asked, trying not to sound too excited.

Alex scratched his chin. "It depends," He said slowly, "On what abilities they have. As I've explained before, the abilities they have before joining determines the family they go to. For instance, a person who specializes in thrown or melee weapons might be put in the Ferro clan, which deals with metal. Someone like you however, who does not have a particular affinity for any element, would only be able to make a place for yourself in my own clan, the Blacklights."

Hinata nodded, remembering Alex's earlier talks about it. "And the only way to b-become a Blacklight is to p-possess the virus?"

"Yeah."

"But y-you won't give that to m-me," She stated, frowning deeply.

"Afraid not," Alex said, shrugging helplessly, "Until the Voice tells me that it's alright, I'm not going to risk it. I'd prefer you alive than turned into a bloodthirsty monster. If the time comes, however..." He shrugged again, as if to say, 'We'll see.' Then he craned his neck to look off into the distance. "Wonder how that boy's been doing with the training," He murmured, "You mind checking, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata stared uncomprehendingly at him for a moment before blinking and realizing the change in topic. She had the feeling that there would be no persuading Alex to change his mind on the matter of the virus. She'd just have to wait for the right time, whenever that was. "Ano, right. What d-direction is he in?"

Alex pointed off handedly to their right, into the trees. "There should be a training ground over there," He said vaguely, "Try looking over in that direction."

She nodded and quickly made the handseals. **"Byakugan!"** Then she extended her vision in the direction Alex had pointed and quickly located Naruto's enormous chakra signature. "He's fighting a clone," She reported slowly, "but I can't make him out very well. The c-clone's signature is identical to his and the propulsion t-technique they're using m-makes the view d-distort."

"Right, thanks," Alex said. He stood up and walked out of the clearing, presumably to rejoin his landlord. However, he stopped at the edge and turned back to her. "Hinata-chan...don't forget what I told you; when you tell him, don't wait too long." Then he was gone.

"I w-won't forget," She mumbled to herself, deactivating her Byakugan. Neither would she forget the look of long-forgotten pain on his face when she'd put herself down. _What would he remember,_ She thought to herself, _That would cause such a reaction from those words?_

(Scattered Foundations library)

"Indeed, Hinata, what _would_ he remember?" Storia muttered under his breath, getting out of his chair. Despite the rhetorical tone he used, Storia was, in reality, frustrated by his inability to answer his own question. Never before, since Alex had left the Scattered Foundation, had Storia been able to record his friend's adventures through the Multiverses. He knew that whatever the source of Alex's pain was, it definitely had something to do with one of his past experiences; but that was the extent of his knowledge on the matter.

"Oi, uncle Storia!"

_Oh god, it's Blair,_ Storia thought in irritation. "What'ya want, Blair?" He called.

The Souse member ran up, looking harried. "I've been trying to recruit one of our members to the Genin team," She explained, "But he's being a total pain in the ass! Advice, please."

The gray man sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Who is it, Blair? Who's being difficult? Is he suitable?"

"Well, I thought he'd be good," the blue-haired girl explained, a slightly apologetic note in her voice, "It's Carlos Binarius."

Storia frowned, thinking. "Binarius..." He said, "He'd make one hell of an impact at the exams. That might just be what we need for Ma Ni to be recognized."

"Ma Ni?" Blair asked. Storia explained how Vaga had planted the rumor that the Gormim were a new village in the Elemental Nations. "Ma Nigakure," She muttered to herself, before smiling widely, her teeth extending into the Gorem shark-like grin, "That sounds totally kick-ass! And Nord's an assassin, that's so awesome! Although, back to my problem, how am I supposed to get Carlos to join us? Is there anything that might convince him it's a good idea?"

Storia pushed his glasses up again, thinking. After his talk with Nord, Storia had gone around in his spare time, learning what he could about some of the other Gormim. "Try appealing to his Gorem nature; tell him that the exams will give him an excuse to use his weapons to his...er, heart's content. That, plus the fact that while the Naruto-verse has technology, it is extremely skewed and the weapons he uses will take an enemy completely by surprise. Carlos loves surprising people in battle, so that might work."

"And if it doesn't?" Blair asked.

The Narrator smirked, his glasses gleaming opaquely for a second. "Appeal to his phobia." He leaned in and told her in an undertone what Carlos' fear was and how Blair could use that against him.

(Later)

"It kinda makes sense that _that's_ his fear," She later told herself as she arrived at the Binarius compound, "I mean, really Blair, where's your common sense?"

"Probably on vacation if you're back here," laughed a high voice. Blair jumped and looked up. Sitting on a low wall outside the compound was a slim girl with dark green hair pulled into two braided pigtails. She wore the typical Binarius lab-coat closed at the front and a pair yellow shorts. Her dark eyes were magnified slightly by a pair of round glasses perched on her nose. Her name was Sophie Binarius, and she was Carlos's adopted daughter. "So, you back for round two?" She asked, jerking her head at the short, squat building behind her, "He won't have changed his mind, you know."

"Oh, I know, Soph," Blair said emphatically, "He's made that pretty clear already. That's why I'll change his mind for him." She held up a hand, manifesting a medium sized ball of water above her fingertip. "He's got his core in, right?"

Sophie paled, her bespectacled eyes locked on the floating orb. "Y-yeah," She gulped, "Yeah, that'll do the trick. Just don't fry anything too important, okay? I have to live here too, ya know?"

Blair laughed. "Don't you worry. I'll be sure to keep it all on him." With that, she sauntered inside, holding the water-ball aloft.

(Inside)

After a few minutes of navigating a maze of corridors, the walls and ceilings of which were black with green circuit-lines running through them, the bright-blue-haired girl found a large, perfectly square room. It was empty except for a circle of six glowing pillars, green lights running up and down their surfaces, sometimes taking right-turns as they followed unseen pathways. When the lights reached the floor, they continued through the circuit-lines there and traveled along to the wall, and so on until they doubled back to one of the pillars. In the center of the ring sat a young man with short dark green hair. Like Sophie, he wore a long white lab-coat, though it was open at the front, giving a glimpse of a round plate imbedded in his chest. He was bowed over a blank desk, tapping his fingers on its surface as if he were typing on a keyboard, though none was visible. As Blair cautiously approached the desk, the man looked up, scowling; he wore a pair of silver-green rectangular glasses, his green irises shot through with tiny glowing circuit-lines. "I thought I told you I'm not interested," He snapped, though his face was calm, "Whatever team you're putting together can do without me; I'm not leaving this room."

Blair's eye twitched at the blatant hostility. _He's already on the offensive!_ "Yeah, well, neither of us has much choice, I need three people for the team and you have the right kind of experience. Besides, if you come with us to the exams, you'll be able to actually _use_ those weapons you're always collecting. Haven't you ever wanted to test them on a ninja?"

Carlos furrowed his brow with intrigue, despite himself. Then he quickly regained control of himself, schooling his expression back into its normal blank calmness. "Ninjas? Well, when you put it that way, I might say I'm interested. Let's suppose, for a moment, that I agree to join; who would be our other teammates?"

"_Your_ other teammates," Blair corrected, "I'm just in charge of getting you three together. For the other two, I'm thinking of asking Len Ferro and Olivia Vetra."

The green-haired man raised an eyebrow, making him look skeptical though he was merely curious. "Lavernius I can understand; his techniques would gain a lot of attention for our 'village.' But why Olivia?"

"First, how did you know about the village? Second, I chose Olivia because she, like you, needs to get out and get some action. It just doesn't seem healthy to just stay inside blowing glass and playing video games all day."

"How would I not know about Ma Nigakure?" The Binarius asked rhetorically, ignoring the implication that he was lazy, "Storia isn't the only one who keeps tabs on other worlds, you know. So, the team is going to be composed of three 'solid' elements and a 'gas' element,' if you consider that Nord will be our sensei."

The female Souse sweatdropped slightly. Mentally, she dismissed her sphere of water back to into the nothing it had come from as she asked, "So, does that mean you'll come?"

Carlos tilted his head at her for a moment. Streams of letters, numbers and other symbols ran across the lenses of his glasses as he thought. Finally he nodded, a small smile on his face. "All right. I'll join your team."

AN: And I am DONE! Great, this chapter's about as long as the last one.

Summary:

1. Kakashi is a bit of an asshole. I honestly did not mean for that to happen, it just wrote itself that way. Will Kakashi-sensei become better over time? Who knows?  
2. Nord's assassin title is Ga, which literally means 'Moth.' The technique he used on Hidate (who I just made up, he's just a minor OC) is one that is unique to aeromancers like him; he can actually make air solid and use it for defense or offense. The ability he used to fly after Hidate is what I call an auxiliary ability. Each of the Gormim families has a different set of abilities that they can use alongside their elemental powers. Please note that none of the auxiliary techniques are mine, nearly all of them are taken from the Bionicle universe. The sensory ability he used with his hair, on the other hand, is one that I came up with on my own.  
3. Vaga meets Kurotsuchi and her sensei (OC) and tells them that the Gormim are a travelling new village. I figured that since my Gormim team is in the exams, they need to be from a village. I took the place they are from, a place between all of existence, and thus Ma Nigakure, the Village Hidden in Between, was born. Vaga also lets slip that he knows that Kurotsuchi's grandfather is the Tsuchikage.  
4. Sasuke tries to spy on Naruto, with little success. I'm sorry if the fight between them was a little lackluster, but remember, they're sparring; Naruto doesn't want to turn Sasuke into a lump of broken bones.  
5. In lesser quantities, biomass seriously turns Hina-chan on. I just came up with that for this chapter, though I might do it again in the future if I can make it fit. Please note that any full lemons will only come post-time skip.  
6. Alex is now able to appear in the real world by possessing a special Kage Bunshin. I'd like to thank asredwer (a kind reviewer) for giving me the idea for this. Kina, because of the seal, cannot do this...yet.  
7. Hinata and Alex have their talk. I've been wanting to do a scene between the two for a while now, and that just seemed like the perfect opportunity. The reason Hinata's words against herself hurt Alex like that is because of one of his past experiences in the Naruto-verse, and with Hinata specifically.  
8. Well, this story is officially a harem now. Hehe, poor Hina-chan, having to share Naruto.  
9. The Chakra Propulsion technique will be elaborated on in future fights.  
10. SO MANY CIRCUITS! The Binarius are the Gormim in charge of technology, so much of their techniques will involve lines like them

With this chapter, the poll is now closed! The final winners are:

1. Glass (female): Olivia Vetra  
2. Metal (male): Lavernius 'Len' Ferro  
3. Technology (male): Carlos Binarius

Also, for those who wants to know who's in the harem, here's an approximate list. The element next to them is the element of the Gorem they will become. The ones with question marks are ones I'm not sure about- next to the name means I don't know whether I should include the character in the harem, (?) means I don't know what element they should be:

Hinata: Blacklight  
Kina: Fire (Terme)(?)  
Haku: Ice (Ghiaci)  
Tayuya: Sound (Din)  
Kin: Sound (Din)  
Fuu: Earth (Gloma) or Air (Baro)  
Shichibi (7-tails): Earth (Gloma)  
Ichibi?: Stone (Petra. Includes sand, so it counts)  
Anko: (?)  
Hanabi (Don't worry, she won't be till post-time skip and she's only two years younger than Hinata): Shadow (Nocturne)  
Yugito Nii +Nibi?: (?)  
Shion: Magia  
Ino?: Lightning (Lampe)  
Tenten: Metal (Ferro)  
Blair?  
Some help would be appreciated for the ones I'm not sure of.

If you have any questions about the story, do NOT hesitate to ask, whether in a review or PM. I'll gladly answer you. It gets boring out here, otherwise.  
In case _anyone_ has _ever_ wondered what the COG stands for in the title, it stands for 'Chronicle of the Gormim.'

Well, till next time! North South out.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I'm back and ready to write! Let's see what happens here. For those of you who might be confused, Alex is back in Naruto's body after the previous chapter.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 11: A bit of reform, stupidly stealthy, lonely fox, and missing metal

A few days later, Kakashi told the team that they would spend the day training rather than doing missions. The blond Jinchuuriki was more than slightly dubious as to the difficulty level of this so called training, but the cyclopean man refused to disclose any information

Naruto leaped across the rooftops of Konoha on the way to the usual meeting spot, using chakra to propel himself occasionally as he talked with the voice in his head. Over the past few days, he had learned a great deal from Alex. The Blacklight, having been through multiple versions of Naruto's world, had had many things that he felt he should teach the boy. Chakra control and stealth were an absolute must. _Even when you have an advantage of strength over your opponent, it's always best to have other strategies. You never know when you might have to sneak in or out of a secure location,_ Alex told him.

_Couldn't I just henge into a guard and infiltrate that way?_ Naruto argued.

_Certainly, but there are so many things that could go wrong with that. If you could become invisible and sneak around unnoticed, it would be so much better; if you became a guard, you'd have to follow the their routine until they don't suspect you and even then, you'd have a hard time getting close to your target._

_You make several good points,_ Naruto conceded, _But you're forgetting one thing; the only thing close to invisibility I've got is hiding my chakra signature with biomass, and that only makes me invisible to people who I catch by surprise._ He felt a slight smugness from his tenant as he said this. _What, are you saying I _can_ turn invisible?_

Alex sent him the image of a check mark. _With the level of instability your DNA has at the moment, you're certainly capable of it._

Naruto was thrilled. _You mean I can finally use some of those Blacklight powers besides strength? Don't get me wrong, the strength is totally awesome, but it's great that I can do other things now. How do I do it?_ By this time he was nearing his original destination and stopped as Alex described the process of turning invisible.

_Don't try it now, though,_ He told Naruto quickly, _Your team will come looking for you if you don't show up and you can't use your Blacklight powers in front of them yet._

_Hai, hai,_ Naruto said dismissively, _I know._

Five minutes later, he reached Training Ground 7, where he was assailed by Sakura who, as usual, declared him to be late while Sasuke glared suspiciously at him. However, he merely tuned them out while he leaned against one of the three posts. It wasn't like he was any later than Kakashi-sensei, who was once again conspicuous by his absence. He felt Mido coiling lazily around his arm in his snake form. He pulled the snake out of his sleeve and looked at it, once more admiring the green, crossed-pupil eyes it had which were similar to Naruto's own when activated. He absently ran his fingertips over the strange mane behind the base of its reptilian head. Mido wriggled in his grip, seemingly unused to being held like this.

"What exactly is that thing, dobe?" Sasuke asked, "Ever since you got it, it's been changing shape; one minute it's a crow, then it's a cat, now it's a fucking snake! That is not normal. So what is it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and beckoned his teammates closer. When the Uchiha, as well as his fangirl, leaned closer, he whispered, "That's a secret, teme. And ninjas don't give up secrets."

A tick mark twitched on Sakura's temple. She straightened up and tried to smack the blond baka's head, but he casually blocked her fist. "Save it for the training," He told her lightly, "You'll have to do better than that, right sensei?"

Sakura whipped around in panic to see...that nobody was there. "Na-ru-to!" She growled, turning back around to see that Naruto had disappeared. "Where'd he go now?" She groaned.

She stiffened as a hand clamped down on her shoulder and a voice whispered, "Boo!" In her ear. The pink-haired girl gave a shriek and jumped forward, banging her head on the training log. She slumped, holding her head and groaning slightly.

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. "That's the same thing you did with me. How do you keep disappearing like that? I had my eyes on you and still lost you, and you're wearing _orange_, for crying out loud." _If I'd had my Sharingan, you wouldn't have gotten away,_ He thought angrily.

Sakura looked up, stunned at hearing her crush admitting that he'd missed something. "S-Sasuke-kun..."

"Mah, mah, what's all this?" asked a voice. All three of them looked around to see Kakashi standing before them, his nose buried in his little orange book. "I could've sworn I heard something..."

"You're late!" Sakura cried out on cue, pointing accusatorily at the silver-haired Jonin.

"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life," Kakashi said casually, stowing his book away.

"You ever thought of getting a roadmap?" Naruto muttered irritably.

"Hm?"

"Never mind," He sighed, "Let's just get on with the training, shall we?"

Kakashi shrugged lazily and pulled some leaves out of his pocket.

_Who the hell would keep leaves in their pocket in the first place?_ Kina asked.

_Kakashi would. He's always been a bit sloppy when it comes to keeping his pockets clean,_ Alex said amusedly.

"We're going to be working on chakra control today," Kakashi continued, holding the shriveled gray things up for his students to see, "You're going to try and get these to stick to a specific part of your body using chakra. It's a very old method used by the village."

Naruto raised his hand. "Oi, sensei," He said in a bored voice, "What if one of us completes it? What then?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Then move on to two. If you've done that go to three, and so on."

_Yeah, but the thing is, I can cover myself in dozens leaves with this technique, I've gotten so good at it,_ Naruto thought angrily, _This is a waste of time!_

_Just act interested,_ Alex said, _Or demonstrate that you can do it. He might not show it, but he doesn't like to have his predictions proven wrong, and he's obviously decided that you're going to struggle with this. So show him up and watch for his reaction._

_Alright, I will, thanks._ Suddenly, a light bulb clicked on in Naruto's head. _Wait, how do you know this about him?_

Alex merely chuckled. _Let's just say that I know this world's Kakashi from personal experience._

_What's that mean?_ But Alex had turned off his end of the connection, leaving Naruto to stick his leaf to his arm, completely mystified. _How would he know Kakashi-sensei? I thought he was sealed inside me for thirteen years._

_Maybe it's from before that?_ Kina suggested. _Although, he would have said so if he was around then, right?_

Naruto thought about that, then deadpanned, now sticking two leaves on over his eyebrows. _I wouldn't be so sure. You know as well as I do that he likes holding back information like that. He probably felt it wouldn't have mattered if he'd told us earlier or not._

_You're right,_ Kina agreed, _He'll probably have us find out what he did at a time when it makes a big impact._ She gave an impression of rolling her eyes. _He's such a tight-lipped bastard, though. I think he just does it to spite us sometimes._

_Hey, I take offense to that remark!_ Interjected Alex, turning the connection back on, _I prefer to not tell you things because it wouldn't really mean much to you in context. When you're able to understand the things my story entails, then I will tell you._

_Yeah, that'll be the day,_ Naruto though sarcastically. Meanwhile, his exercise had progressed to the point where he was easily balancing five leaves at once; two on his elbows, two on his knees, and one on his forehead. All of this he did while standing casually, with no visible sign that he was maintaining concentration with his chakra. His training with Kage Bunshin, as well as Alex's instructions in tree climbing, had greatly improved his control to the point where a task such as this barely wasted any chakra; not that it mattered, with the sheer amount he had in his reserves, the small amount he _did_ waste would not be missed.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was indeed quietly fuming at Naruto's progress in the exercise. From what he'd read in the boy's file, his chakra control was supposed to abysmal. But here, he was proving to have enough control to balance five leaves. No... Kakashi looked again, it was ten, now. Ten leaves plastered all over Naruto's body, with the boy seeming to smirk at him, as if to say, 'You're wrong.' _I can't be wrong,_ Kakashi thought angrily, _I'm a Jonin, I'm supposed to make accurate observations about this._

Naruto shivered slightly as a minute amount of KI drifted toward him. It was as if his sensei were directing a very cold breeze at him, but apart from that, it had very little effect. _I guess you called it, Alex, he's starting to get pissed and I haven't even done anything wrong yet._

_Told ya._

_Will he do anything?_

Alex thought for a moment, weighing the chances. _Nah,_ He said finally, _He may be an idiot who hates being proven wrong, but he's fair. After all, he can't fault you for doing exactly what he told you to do._

_If you say so..._ Naruto thought dismally. Still, he did not add any more leaves to his exercise, just in case it angered his sensei further. Meanwhile, Sakura had, with her own above-average control, managed to get three leaves to stick to her arms. However, due to her low capacity, she was already panting after fifteen minutes from the drain on her chakra. (AN: I figure that fifteen minutes of sticking three leaves to you is about even with tree-walking up to a branch once.)

Sasuke, on the other hand, was having trouble making four leaves stay on. He'd get two, then when he tried to focus on the others, the first one or two would fall off. The look of frustration on his face was being used as a source of amusement by Naruto, until the heterochromic blond took pity on him. "You gotta keep your concentration on both at the same time," He told the young Uchiha, "If you switch attention between them like that, the concentration you just used is just gonna go to waste since you're not sending chakra to that spot anymore."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, then attempted to do as his teammate had instructed.

Naruto nodded satisfactorily and turned around, suddenly finding himself face-to-face with Kakashi. "Naruto," The one-eyed man said, with an air of forced calm, "While your desire to help is admirable, perhaps you should leave the teaching to the actual teacher, _ne?"_

Naruto fought not to lose control at the threatening tone in the man's voice on the last syllable. He did not like being threatened.

Instead, he looked Kakashi in the eye and said evenly, "With all due respect, sensei, if you were going to help Sasuke, you should've said something sooner to help him." Then he stepped closer and hissed in his ear, "A teacher looks to see when a student is having difficulty, they do not become angry when a student is doing better than expected."

Kakashi flinched slightly, and then hung his head as he realized just how childishly he'd been acting around Naruto. What would Minato-sensei have said, if he'd seen the spiteful way he'd been treating his own student? "Sorry," He mumbled.

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Apology readily accepted," He said, more than a little gratified, "Just...just remember not to get mad at a person's success, okay? You're supposed to be the most mature person here, for Log's sake."

"I know," Kakashi said sheepishly, "I've just never been a sensei before, so I don't know how to teach very well."

"A bit of advice?" Naruto asked. Kakashi nodded cautiously, and Naruto leaned in and whispered, "Less D-ranks. They're boring as shit, and don't really help with the training."

"I'll try," the Jonin muttered, "but we have to do a set amount of them, otherwise we can't start going on C-rank missions. It's a requirement, I'm afraid."

"Figures," the blond sighed.

"What are you two talking about?" Came a voice. Both sensei and student looked around to see Sakura staring at them. The leaves she had been practicing with lay around her as evidence to her lost concentration.

"Nothing," Kakashi said vaguely, glancing at Naruto with his lone eye, "Just straightening out a few issues, that's all."

Sakura looked perplexed, but apparently decided to take the words at face value.

Kakashi watched as his students did the exercise. "No, you don't have to do any more," He told Naruto as the boy began picking up more leaves, "You've already proved that you have mastered it."

Naruto tilted his head at his teacher for a moment, studying him with a blank expression. Then he shrugged and walked over to the logs, where he bowed to one of them before sitting down and leaning against it and pulling out a strangely familiar orange book and starting to read... Kakashi started and his hand, by reflex, flew to his kunai pouch, only to come up empty. _He...he stole my Icha Icha!_ He thought in astonishment, _how the hell did he do that?_ "Naruto!"

Naruto looked up. Already there was a slight blush on his face, but apart from that, he had not the slightest bit of apparent embarrassment in his expression. "Hai, sensei?"

"Give me my book back!"

Naruto smirked and looked back at the open pages. "Can't do that, Kaka-sensei. Ya have to focus on teaching, not reading, so I took this off your hands. I gotta hand it to you, though, you got some good taste." He grinned as he reached a particularly juicy part in the book while he said this.

Kakashi was once again fuming, though mostly from embarrassment as his other students looked at him suspiciously. "What does he mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, "What kind of book is it?"

"Um, it's...uh..." Kakashi began, wondering what to tell them.

"It's porn," Naruto told them bluntly, not even bothering to look up and acknowledge their shocked and horrified expressions. He just kept reading gleefully. "Damn good stuff, too."

Sakura whirled around to face Kakashi, "What the hell are you doing, reading such things in front of children?" She shrieked.

Kakashi opened his mouth to reply, then frowned. "Wait a minute; I'm the senior ninja here, I don't have to answer you."

Naruto chuckled as Mido changed into a cat and curled up next to him. "Sakura, I do believe you've been shot down."

"_Shut up, you!"_ The pinkette yelled, poking a finger accusatorily in his direction. "You're just as bad for reading it, you pervert!"

"Oh, that is _bullshit,"_ The orange-wearing boy snapped back, "You'd be all for it if your precious Sasuke-kun read this, and you know it.

"Moving on," Sasuke said, a tick mark on his face, "Can we just get back to the training, sensei? I'd rather not waste the day listening to Sakura squawking about your addiction."

Kakashi's eye twitched. _I get no respect,_ He thought.

Sakura mouthed soundlessly at both her crush's and Naruto's words. The problem was that Naruto had a fair point in this matter. Though in her opinion, she felt that Sasuke's comment was a bit unkind. "I do _not_ squawk," She muttered mutinously.

Somehow, Naruto heard her, "Yeah, and your hair's not pink, either," He retorted sarcastically, standing up. "Hey, sensei, if I've got this exercise mastered so early, can I go? I mean, there's no reason for me to stick around watching, is there?"

Kakashi thought about it. "Sure, why not? Go ahead." It wasn't until the Jinchuuriki had left the training field that Kakashi remembered the emptiness in his kunai pouch. "Damn it!"

(Later)

Naruto, as he always did, wandered the streets wondering what to do with his suddenly free time. "Been a while since I went to Ichiraku's," He said to himself, brightening, "I guess it's an early lunch for me, then."

He crouched and, with some jets of chakra blasting from his feet as well as biomass to his legs, sprang up and over several buildings, taking an impromptu shortcut to his favorite ramen hut. Within minutes he was at the front of the place. He ducked under the short curtain and sat down on one of the stools. The bar was empty but for himself. "Oi, Oji-san, two Miso ramen please!"

The chef, Teuchi Ichiraku, turned in surprise at hearing the voice of his favorite customer. "Naruto! I thought you'd forgotten about us; we haven't seen you for weeks. Hey, Ayame, guess who's here!"

A kind faced, brown-haired girl wearing an apron came around from the kitchen while her father took her place preparing the ramen. "Naruto-kun, how are you? Looks like you managed to pass the test, ne?"

"Heh, sure did, Ayame-chan," Naruto said proudly, flicking the headband on his forehead, "I'm already on a team with a sensei and everything!"

"Really now?" Teuchi asked, placing two ramen bowls on the counter, "Here, two Miso ramen. Enjoy."

Naruto grinned as he picked up his chopsticks and broke them apart. "With pleasure; ittadakimasu!" He dug in with gusto, slurping the noodles with such speed that any bystander would have been stunned, but to the Ichirakus, who had seen it many times over the years, it was quite normal. Within seconds he'd finished both the bowls and sighed, satisfied. "Aah, that's good stuff. Hey, Oji-san, I'll have some more please!"

Teuchi chuckled. "Of course you will." He went around to the back to get more ramen.

"So, Naruto-kun, what's your team like? Who's your sensei?" Asked Ayame conversationally, leaning on the counter.

Naruto shrugged, grimacing. "Well, I could do a hell of a lot better for teammates. I got stuck with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura. Sasuke's alright, not as bad as he seemed at the academy, but he keeps spying on me. Sakura is..." He shrugged, "Sakura. My sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Dunno what to think about him. At first, he was being kinda immature and spiteful to me, but now he seems to be mellowing out a little, so we'll see about him."

"What happened with Sakura-san? I thought you were trying to get her on a date all the time."

"I wised up," He said flatly.

As he spoke, snake-Mido poked his head out of Naruto's sleeve, tasting the air with his tongue inquisitively before sliding out fully onto the counter top, where he transformed into a cat and began lapping at the ramen Teuchi had placed in front of Naruto.

"Since when did you have a cat, Naruto?" Ayame asked, while Naruto devoured his second helping of ramen.

"Mm, since the day my team got together," Naruto replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He neglected to tell the ramen girl that he'd made the creature out of an unknown energy during a jutsu, "He's only a cat at the moment, he's got the ability to change shape and normally rides under my clothes as a snake."

"Speaking of clothes," Teuchi said, peering around the wall that kept the kitchen from view, "I can't help but notice the ones you have now."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I got these after my first mission. I just really wanted something with a hood and was big enough. That jumpsuit was a bit small."

"It looks good on you," Ayame said approvingly, "Makes you look older, somehow."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "That's the same thing Hinata-chan said."

Ayame leaned forward, a gleam in her eye. "Who's Hinata? And 'Hinata-chan,' at that."

Rather than becoming flustered by her words like he normally would, he merely shrugged. "She's a friend of mine. If my senses are right, she's spying on us around the corner." He broke out in a broad grin as he heard a squeak somewhere behind him. He turned around, raising a hand in greeting. "Come join us, Hinata-chan! You want some ramen?"

Ayame watched, slightly mystified, as a dark-haired, timid looking girl edged into view. "O-ohayo, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, blushing at having been caught in her observing/spying/stalking. She sat gingerly on a stool next to her blond crush and said to Ayame quietly, "Um, I'll h-have some v-vegetable ramen, please."

"Sure. Hey dad, one order of vegetable ramen for Naruto's little girlfriend!" Ayame called, grinning.

Hinata gave an "Eep!" and hunched over, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head to hide her suddenly scarlet face, trying to look as small as possible.

Naruto pulled down his own hood and raised his eyebrows. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just a really good friend." _And really, really cute,_ He added mentally, watching her sink deeper into her beige jacket.

Even through her embarrassment, Hinata could not help but feel disappointed at this response. _I want to be, though,_ She lamented internally, _why can't I tell him that?_

Ayame merely smirked. But before she could question his honesty, her father came back with a bowl of vegetable ramen and two more bowls miso. "Here you are," He said kindly, setting a bowl in front of Hinata.

"Th-thank you," She murmured, glad to have something to distract her from the brown-haired girl's embarrassing words.

Naruto glanced at her, before pulling one of the bowls of Miso towards him. "So, Hinata-chan, what's up? What's your team been doing?"

Hinata looked up her own ramen and said, "M-mostly training, but we also d-did another m-mission; clearing a f-farmer's field of rocks."

"He had a field of rocks?" Naruto asked teasingly.

Hinata stammered an amendment. "N-no, it w-was an ordinary field, b-but..."

"Hinata-san," Teuchi said amusedly, "I think Naruto was joking."

Hinata bit her lip as Naruto burst out laughing. She berated herself for not recognizing his sarcasm, she really should have seen it coming, having been close to him for a while. He took what she said and deliberately misunderstood it just to see her reaction. "Gomen, Hina-chan," He chuckled, "It was just too good of a chance."

Her eyes widened. _He called me Hina-chan!_ A pleased smile spread across her face at the affectionate nickname, which was noticed by both Naruto and the Ichirakus; although only the latter knew what it meant. Naruto merely thought it was Hinata's way of saying she wasn't offended by his making fun of her, for which he was secretly grateful. The thought that she might be mad at him was not one that sat well with him.

A while later, after some small-talk between Hinata and Ayame, though mostly Ayame, and a lot more bowls of ramen were consumed by Naruto, Hinata stood up, sighing. "Sorry, b-but my father w-will probably be expecting me at h-home," She apologized, "It's n-nice to have m-met you Ayame-san, Teuchi-san."

"Anytime, Hinata-chan. Any friend of Naruto's is welcome here," Teuchi said, smiling. Hinata bowed quickly and ran off.

"Well, she seemed nice," Ayame said, clearing away the stacks of empty bowls in front of Naruto.

"She certainly is," Teuchi agreed, watching the retreating girl, "I never thought I'd meet a Hyuuga who was so quiet and polite."

"Ironically, it's the other Hyuugas that made her like that," Growled Naruto, scowling at the thought, "They belittle and insult her just because she can't use Jyuuken properly, and it's not even her fault!"

The two ramen makers glanced surreptitiously at each other. Their customer glanced up from his contemplation of what he'd like to do to the Hyuuga clan and saw the look, interpreting it correctly. "Yeah, I suppose we are a lot alike in that regard. It's not her fault that her body is too flexible for Jyuuken...and it's not my fault for containing the Kyuubi." He fought not to grin as the two people in front of him reacted to this dropped bombshell.

"You-you know?" Teuchi asked, stunned.

"Yep," Naruto said nonchalantly, "I found out about it the night I graduated."

"Is that why you're friends? Because you have similar situations?"

Naruto thought about that for a moment. "Not exactly; there are other reasons. First of all, she's nothing like Sakura, or any other girl in my generation; she doesn't try to hit me except when we spar. Secondly, she doesn't laugh at me when I tell her my dream. Thirdly, on the day of my graduation test, she just looked at me and said, 'I believe in you.' What you've gotta understand is that nobody has ever told me that. Sure, you two, Iruka-sensei and Jiji have always encouraged me and expressed confidence, but to a have someone actually _say_ that is one of the best things I've ever felt." Having finished, he pulled out some Ryo bills and slapped them on the counter to pay for all the ramen he'd eaten, as well as Hinata's ramen. Then he stood up and walked out of the ramen bar, a somber expression on his face.

Ayame looked guiltily at her father. "You know, he's right," She said quietly, "I don't think anyone has ever said that they believed in him, not even us. Whatever that girl does with him could only be an improvement, if what we've seen so far is her work."

Teuchi could only nod in agreement. "Something about that boy has definitely changed," He told his daughter, "He's not that hyperactive knucklehead that always shouted about how great he was anymore. Now, he's become more focused and thoughtful, but I've got no doubt that he's still an unpredictable ninja."

(Meanwhile)

Naruto once again wandered, lost in thought. Or rather, talking with his tenants; Kina was slightly off-put by the quiet demeanor he'd taken and was trying to get him back to his normal good-humored self.

_You know, you forgot the fourth reason you're friends with Hinata-chan,_ Kina told him.

_I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but what would that be?_ Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. He had a suspicion that he knew what she'd say.

_Well, don't you remember what happened when you first met Hinata-chan and she fainted?_

_...Yeah...what about it?_

_You ended up getting suffocated by those big boobs of hers,_ Kina said, grinning as she felt Naruto roll his eyes.

_From then on, there was no going back,_ Alex agreed in a mock-serious tone, speaking up for the first time.

_True, but I couldn't have told them that. It would've ruined the impact of my impassioned speech and made it seem insincere. And I really did mean what I said._

_We know,_ Alex told him, _If Hinata was still here, she would've been thrilled to hear you say all those things. Really._

_...If you say so. I'm going to go practice my invisibility now,_ Naruto said, changing the subject with the speed of a short attention span. He quickly found a deserted alleyway, where nobody would find him while he practiced, and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes, picturing the biomass stored in his body. Alex had told him to look for a pattern in the biomass, which he quickly discovered in its 'surface,' and then change that pattern in accordance to his will to become invisible. This was different from what he normally did, since he was not actually moving the biomass, but altering it.

It took him several tries to do it, but finally he tried ordering it to change while at the same time imagining himself turning invisible. Instantly he felt the pattern twist and change as the biomass obeyed his command. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself. Sure enough, his body had become translucent and only discernable at the edges, where light seemed to bend slightly. It was a bit like he was made out of very clear glass.

_Don't worry about that,_ Alex said, _you only look that way to yourself. To anyone else, you are completely invisible. If you combine that with your Chakra Cloaking, you'd be undetectable in any way._ Alex mused for a moment and added, _Apparently the Nidaime Tsuchikage, Mū, was able to do just that. They referred to him as the Invisible Man because of it._

Naruto stood there, looking down at his see-through hands. _Hey Alex, when does the technique wear off?_

_Whenever you want it to. Unlike a jutsu, changes made with a Blacklight technique stay active until deactivated, so you don't have to focus on maintaining the pattern._

_Huh. The more I learn, the more I like being a Blacklight,_ Naruto said appreciatively. He walked out into the streets, trailing behind random people, trying out his new invisibility for amusement, _Well, except for the whole eating people thing._

_It's not so bad. It used to be that I had to eat an entire person to gain their abilities; after a while, I learned how to obtain all that just by consuming a part of them, such as their hair. However, you will find it irresistible to consume a dead person._

_Why's that?_ Naruto asked.

_Because of our position in the Gormim, our hunger comes from both a need to replace damaged flesh, and a desire for power. If you ever meet a person who's powerful for whatever reason, be it through a bloodline or because they're a good swordsman, you will want to consume them in order to be able to use their skills. If you don't want to kill them, eating a part of them is enough to satisfy the power-hunger. If, on the other hand, that person ends up dying in a fight, you will be overcome by a desire to consume their entire corpse. Normally, any damage done to you in battle is automatically regenerated by redistributing the biomass in your body, but when you consume a whole person, their own biomass is added to your own and is used to speed up your healing._

_Fascinating,_ Naruto said sincerely, though he sweatdropped. Sometimes Alex would go off on a huge tangent for the simplest questions. _What I meant is that I don't want to _eat_ them. As in, cutting into their dead flesh._

_Oh..._ Alex sweatdropped himself, _That's not how it happens. The body dissolves into biomass and is absorbed into your mark. When you finally get one,_ He added.

_Right. When I get one._ Naruto sighed, causing the person he was trailing behind to jump at the sound. _Hey Alex, even with my invisibility, I need something to practice my stealth with._

_What do you have in mind?_ Alex asked. Naruto told him. _You got some serious balls, if you think you can do that. Not only that, but it would humiliate them if they found out about it. I say go for it._

_Hai, sensei,_ Naruto said gleefully, setting off for his target destination.

Alex's head jerked back in surprise. He looked at Kina and said brightly, "He called me sensei! I've always wanted a student."

"Then who've you been teaching for the last few weeks?" the fox-girl muttered, deadpanning at her fellow tenant.

Alex didn't listen. _Take that, Minato!_ He thought triumphantly, _I_ can_ be a good teacher! And to your own son, no less._

(Hyuuga Clan compound)

Naruto stood next to the side wall of the compound, his invisible face set. This, he felt, would prove the might of his Chakra Cloaking; The Hyuugas, with their 'all-seeing Byakugan,' would be no match for his ability to be unseen. With a small jump, he grabbed the top of the wall and flipped himself over it. He landed with very little noise, the earlier stealth training with his clones had quickly taught him how to be quiet. While he was invisible and unnoticeable to chakra senses, these did not necessarily make him silent. He had to do that on his own. Then he remembered that he still had to activate his Cloaking first. He pressed the palms of his hands together (a concentration habit he'd picked up when he did Blacklight techniques) and focused, channeling his chakra to a point at his center before encasing it in biomass. Despite Alex's earlier assurances that his invisibility pattern would hold up, Naruto was still relieved when his Chakra Cloaking did not disrupted his transparency. However, to his annoyance, he discovered that his own chakra senses had been cut off by his technique. He stalked through the grounds of the compound, grinning as guards walked straight past him without even a glance. At one point, he pretended to pounce on an unsuspecting guard who had his back to him, trying not to giggle as he placed a 'kick me' note on the guards back instead. Finally, as he prowled the southern wall of the main building, he noticed an open window. _Hel-lo,_ He thought, curiosity aroused. He grabbed the bottom frame of the window and, with a little effort, pulled himself through. He'd noted a long time ago that sealing up his chakra decreased his physical strength a bit, though this was easily worked around. Having made it through the window, he stood up and looked around. He was in a medium sized bedroom, decorated with lavender wallpaper. He walked over to a small desk next to the neatly made bed and saw several photos. The one that caught his eye was one that had been taken recently; it depicted four people. On the left was a grinning, slightly feral-looking boy with a gray, fur-lined coat with the hood pulled up. Perched on his head was a small white puppy that had its tongue out. Kiba and Akamaru. On the left was a tall, brown-haired boy with sunglasses and a pale green coat with a collar high enough to hide his mouth. Shino. In the middle, behind them, was a tall woman with messy-looking black hair and red eyes. She wore what looked like a short dress made of- he looked closer to be sure -bandages, with a single long, red sleeve. She seemed slightly stern but smiled at the camera. Kurenai Yuhi. Naruto's eyes drifted to the last person in the picture, situated at the front-middle, and recognized her immediately. Hinata. _This is her team photo,_ He thought remotely, _And I'm in her room._

He'd let his Cloaking technique drop when he'd entered the room, so it did not surprise him much to hear Kina say, _You're in a girl's bedroom without the girl in sight. Something's wrong with this picture._

_Ha ha,_ He thought sarcastically, going to lie down on the bed. As he did so, a large crow shot out of his invisible sleeve and alighted on the desktop. "Oops, sorry Mido," He chuckled. He'd forgotten that his pet had hidden inside his sleeve and was glad that it had remained unseen by passersby. It would have given a lot of people heart attacks to see a floating black snake without any means of flight. Settling into his seat on the bed, the back his head against the wall, he reversed the invisibility pattern and pulled out his pilfered copy of Icha Icha paradise. He quickly flipped to his place and resumed reading, giggling perversely as he did so. _Oh yeah, sensei's not getting this back for a while,_ He thought.

At that moment, the door opened and a tired-looking Hinata slouched in, with Hanabi bouncing around her, chattering incessantly. He froze, pulling his legs close to him. He had not expected Hinata to be home so early. Fortunately, the two girls took no notice at all to his presence. "Hanabi, can you wait until later? I'm tired and I want to sleep." Naruto watched with a silent mix terror and hilarity as Hinata absentmindedly patted Mido on the head, not even realizing that the crow wasn't supposed to be there. Hanabi didn't respond to her older sister's request; she had seen Naruto crouched at the head of Hinata's bed, and her mouth was wide open in pure shock. Naruto could do nothing more than shakily raise a finger to his lips, to which she nodded dumbly. "Log, I'm hot," Hinata groaned, having still not noticed anything wrong. She just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. She unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off, prompting Naruto's eyes to widen as the girl's body was more or less revealed to him. Well, she wore a black shirt and a mesh undershirt, but they were tight enough that he could clearly see the distinct curve of her bust.

_Damn,_ Kina said, impressed, _I'd say they're about a low C. Not bad for a twelve-year-old._

_Kunoichi tend to develop early due to the training they go through._ Alex supplied. He too was impressed, but had enough self control not to show it.

_Whoa,_ Naruto said, slightly dazed, _I always guessed that Hinata was hiding something under that coat but...damn!_

Hanabi had noticed the orange-clad boy's reaction and said pointedly, "Onee-chan, I don't think you should get undressed just yet."

"What're you t-talking about?" Hinata asked, reaching to pull her shirt off. However, Mido chose that moment to give a loud caw. She froze, her hands still at her sides. Even if her back was to him, Naruto could easily imagine the wide eyes that she was making at Hanabi. The younger Hyuuga giggled and pointed right at him. He scowled, mouthing 'thanks a lot,' but she just put her hands over her mouth in an effort to not just burst out laughing. Hinata turned very slowly until she saw him, with his legs pulled up close to him, but otherwise sitting comfortably on her bed. The Icha Icha book had long since vanished back into his pocket.

For a long minute, they stared at each other, Hinata's mouth working soundlessly, her face white. Finally, Naruto chose to break the awkward silence. "Yo," He said feebly, waving a little.

In reply, Hinata raised her hand and waved weakly back. Then her lavender eyes rolled up and she crumpled with a sigh. Both Naruto and Hanabi dived to catch her, but Naruto was somehow faster, which should have been impossible due to the position he had just been in. Still, he managed to catch the fainting girl and scooped her up in a fireman's carry. "Damn, I was hoping she wouldn't do that," He sighed, laying Hinata on the bed.

"No such luck," Hanabi replied, finding her voice at last, "She tends to do that a lot around you, from what I hear."

"Yeah, I know. But still, I'd hoped..."

The brown-haired girl frowned at him. "Be that as it may, how the _hell_ did you get in here?"

Naruto grinned mischievously. "Now, now, Shorty. Every ninja's got his secrets." A tick mark appeared on Hanabi's temple, but before she could shout, Naruto raised his hand to stop her. "I have a couple of techniques that render me undetectable. I infiltrated this compound to test them. I got in here through an open window," He said, suddenly tired. He really wasn't in the mood to be shouted at.

A quiet moan from the bed made him glance over. Hinata stirred for a moment and sat up sluggishly, rubbing her eyes. "Wha' happen?" She mumbled blearily.

Naruto blushed a little at the sight of her face. _Cute..._

"You fainted, Nee-chan," Hanabi told her, "The Naruto guy snuck into your room."

Hinata blanched and crossed her arms over her chest, remembering that she'd taken her coat off. _He-he saw me!_ She thought with a bit of dismay. The reason Hinata always wore her thick coat was not because she was cold; it was because of the insecurities she had about her own body. She always believed, irrationally, that Naruto might think she was ugly if he saw her. How she clung to this thought after being close friends with him for so long is anyone's guess, but there it was.

"Sorry to scare ya, Hina-chan," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head ruefully, "But you kinda got the drop on me, too."

Hinata relaxed, slightly calmed by the affectionate shortening of her name. So he didn't hate her body, then. Good. It suddenly dawned on her that they were in her room, were Naruto should not normally be. She straightened, her eyes widening in surprise. "Naruto-kun," She asked incredulously, "What are you _doing_ here?"

Naruto grinned. "Stealth training!" He said cheerfully.

"What?" She asked, not sure she'd heard properly.

"Yeah! I can turn invisible now!" He said, pointing at the open window.

Hinata opened and closed her mouth silently, then groaned, kneading her temples. "W-why does that n-not surprise me?" She asked herself, "But why oh w-why did you have come sneak in here? If any of the guards h-had activated their Byakugan, you w-would've been c-caught!"

"She's right," Hanabi interjected, "Even if you can turn invisible, the Byakugan can see both chakra being used for a jutsu and your chakra pathways, so you'd have shown up clearly to them."

"No, I wouldn't," Naruto said simply, a small smile on his face.

"Yes, you would!" Hanabi shouted in frustration.

"No, I wouldn't, because one: it wasn't a jutsu and two: I can block my signature," Naruto said with an air of triumph, "How do ya like _them_ apples?"

"_Those,_ and I'm not m-much of an apple f-fan," Hinata said suddenly.

Naruto sputtered, caught a bit off balance.

_Double fade,_ Alex said, laughing, _She corrects your grammar, _and_ gets you back for turning her words against her earlier._

"Touché, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, regaining his composure, _Shut up, Alex._ He crossed the room and picked up Mido, who turned into a cat. Tucking the feline under his arm, he strode back to the open window. "With this wounding of my pride, I take my leave. Until next time," He said in a mockingly formal tone. Hinata and Hanabi watched in astonishment as Naruto shimmered out of sight.

"Alright, so he _can_ turn invisible," said Hanabi, impressed. She quickly activated her Byakugan, trying to see the blond's chakra pathways. For a moment she saw him, shining so brightly that she nearly turned the doujutsu off by reflex; she'd never seen such a huge amount of chakra in one person before! Then, to her surprise, the brilliant blue radiance of energy began to dim, shrinking down to a fist-sized point, before vanishing. She gasped. "N-nani?"

"He's g-gone, isn't he?" Hinata asked. Unlike her sister, Hinata already knew about Naruto's Chakra Cloaking technique, so it wasn't as surprising to her. "If N-Naruto-kun says he can do something, c-chances are he c-can."

"I'm still here, ya know," Whispered a voice behind her. Hinata stiffened, but before she could turn around, there was a sharp sting as someone slapped her ass. Naruto gave a cackle before leaping over the corner of the bed and, with a bound, was out the window.

Hinata stood rooted to the spot, a hand on her behind and her eyes wide. A single thought ran through her head: _He touched me...He touched me _there! Darkness closed in around her as the world tilted. She distantly heard Hanabi say exasperatedly, "Oh, come on, _again?"_

Naruto leaped over hedges and Hyuugas alike as he exited the compound. He had no idea why he'd done that to Hinata. He hoped she wouldn't be angry at him, but he couldn't help himself. _Damn hormones,_ He thought, a little annoyed.

_It's puberty, get over it,_ Alex said in a deadpan voice.

_Besides, it's not like you didn't enjoy feeling up that round, plump ass, right Naruto-kun?_ Kina asked, grinning lecherously.

_Ignore the vixen, Naruto,_ Alex told Naruto, who had blushed deeply, _She just hasn't had a good fuck in...ever, really._

Kina bristled. _Hey, my last two containers were both girls, and they never exactly had any interest in anyone other than their husbands..._

By this time, Naruto had made it back to the outer wall of the compound and reversed his invisibility pattern. At these words, however, he nearly fell over in shock. With a twist, he thrust himself into the mindscape, appearing directly in front of Kina. "Explain," He said, the flat, angry tone in his voice overpowering as he towered over her.

The fox-girl gulped, slightly intimidated. It wasn't until now that she noticed just how tall Naruto had grown over the past few weeks. "W-well, you aren't the first person I've been sealed into," She babbled, "Before you I was sealed inside Kushina Uzumaki and before her, her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki."

Naruto stared down at her, his hood obscuring his face. "You...were sealed inside my mother," He said slowly, "You knew her...and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know her!" Kina said defensively, "She barely ever came to see, let alone speak to me, and she never let me see what her life was like! She was like a stranger to me...and that seal was horrible, so much worse than this one." Her ears and tail drooped as she said this, and her eyes filled with unshed tears at the memory.

Naruto's previous anger at her vanished as he looked at her. He was suddenly aware of how lonely Kina must have been, trapped twice in a cage without anyone to even visit her. Such a notion struck very close to home with him, after the childhood he himself had lived. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened at the gesture, and then, the sadness she had kept bottled up all those years, brought to the surface by her remembering, came pouring out; she buried her face in his chest and cried, tears streaming from her crimson eyes. Naruto squeezed her gently and rubbed her back, murmuring that she was alright, that she was not alone anymore. While Kina sobbed into his jacket, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Alex, who was gazing at Kina with sympathy. "Loneliness," He began quietly, "Is a curse that always strikes the strongest. Even the Kyuubi cannot defeat it, because it is not something that strength alone can destroy. I told you a while ago that I was left alone in my old world, that's why I left with the Gormim; anything would have been better than to live through another day of that loneliness. I know how you feel, Kina," Kina had raised her tearstained face to stare at Alex, who continued, "But Naruto is right; you're not alone anymore, you've got us as friends."

Naruto nodded, still hugging her. "You may be one of the most powerful chakra demons in history," He said, "But you're also Kina, a girl with real feelings who needs company."

_Nicely said,_ Alex thought approvingly, watching the weak smile that appeared on the redhead's face

"Thank you," Kina whispered, closing her eyes. She leaned against Naruto, basking in the warmth he gave off. "You two don't know how much that really means to me," She said, "Even I didn't know how much it would mean. I think I see why you wanted to be friends with Hinata, Naruto-kun, after she said she believed in you. It feels so nice to know that someone cares." She backed out of Naruto's grasp and bowed slightly to Alex. "Thank you Alex, for giving a human body and a heart. I feel things that I never did when I was the fox." Then she turned from the pleasantly surprised Alex to Naruto and bowed a bit lower. "And thank you Naruto, for forgiving me even after everything you went through in your life because of me."

Both Blacklights were, quite frankly, stunned at this behavior. Naruto broke the silence. "Any time, Kina-chan. That's what friends are for."

Kina nodded, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"None of that now," Alex said bracingly, "What happened to the flirtatious, perverted fox girl we know and Naruto loves?"

"Hey!" Naruto said indignantly.

Kina blinked at them for a moment in surprise, then her normal grin returned. "Aw come on, you know you like it, Na-ru-to-kun," she said in a tone that was more than a little seductive. She twined her arms around his torso while leaning forward slightly, giving him a very good view down her kimono top.

Alex smiled as he watched the two of them as Naruto tried to back away while, at the same time, not being able to tear his eyes away from the redheaded girl's cleavage. "And so things resume," He murmured, "As they should." Then he frowned. Now that the subject of Kushina had been mentioned, he would eventually have to tell them what he knew of her. It was only right: Naruto deserved to know what sort of person his mother had been, and Kina would want to know what her previous container had been like. He would have gladly told them at that moment, but something stopped him. It might have been his unwillingness to ruin the moment, but he could not fool himself. He would not speak up because that was how he'd grown up in the plague filled streets of New York: 'Secrecy is all.' He'd always had to keep the extent of his knowledge and abilities a secret from those around him, from the military when he infiltrated them, from Doc. Ragland, even from Dana. "I will tell them," He growled to himself, "I just need to find the right time." He looked up, as if seeing beyond the stone ceiling of the chamber. "What do I do, Storia?" He asked wearily, "You were always better at words than me."

(Scattered Foundations library)

A smile tugged at the corner of Storia's mouth. "You don't give yourself credit, Alex," He said, "You are as good with spoken words as I am with written ones. You'll figure it out. That's why you're the field commander and I sit in my tower and do the paperwork." He snorted at that last bit, thinking of the Hokage position. "Poor old sap. One moment you're the God of Shinobi, the next your slaving away to a corrupt council under a pile of papers." He stood up and walked away, finished with his chronicle for the time being. "Let's see where Blair's got to," he said, frowning as he set out across the abyss of the Centerplane.

The Souse girl, as it turns out, was having a bit of trouble. The next candidate on her Chunin Exam list, Len Ferro, was proving to be elusive. She was not worried about him being unwilling to come; on the contrary, unlike Carlos, she knew Len was more compliant and willing to adventure outside the Scattered Foundations. No, the problem was that she couldn't for the life of her remember where the Ferro compound was.

"Hello, Blair." Blair turned to see Storia walking toward her.

Her jaw dropped. "Whoa," She breathed, "So you _can_ leave that library. I thought you were bound there or something. I mean, you sleep there for god's sake."

Storia's eye twitched. "Just because my bedroom is located in my library doesn't mean I'm incapable of leaving," He snapped. Seeing her look of skepticism, he sighed and held up a hand. "My living quarters aside, what problem are you having? Don't look at me like that, I know you're having difficulties; which compound are you looking for?"

Slightly impressed by how quick on the uptake her uncle was, Blair said, embarrassedly, "I need to find the Ferro compound."

That had him raising his eyebrows. "You want Lavernius?" Blair suppressed a wince. She knew that Len hated that name. "Well, finding the compound is pretty simple if you think about the relations of the families."

"Relations?"

Storia pushed his glasses up his nose. "Our families do not have blood ties. Instead, the closeness between each house, and thus the elemental demesnes, is determined by the relations of the elements."

Understanding dawned in the blue-haired girl and she nodded. "That's why the Souse compound is always close to the Ghiaccio compound," She said, "because of the relationship between water and ice!"

"Precisely," The Spellwright said, pleased by the comprehension he'd caused, "The Ferro and Binarius families are equally, if not more close. Metal and technology overlap in many places and, as such, the Ferros' compound is actually attached to the Binarius'."

Blair nodded, grinning. "Right, thanks uncle!" She turned and started running.

"Blair!"

She turned back to look at the gray man, who made an odd turning gesture. "It's underneath," he said, "The compound is located on the reverse side of the Binarius grounds."

Blair bit her lip and nodded again before running off.

_I swear, if I didn't call them back, they'd still rush about without finding anything,_ Storia thought ruefully. He strode off in a different direction. _I wonder what Morris is up to?_

AN: And that's it for this chapter. To tell the truth, I can already see that some of the things in this one are a little rushed-looking, but I honestly can't do anything to change that. Also, I know that a lot of you guys are gonna be pissed that I turned around and made Kakashi good. Sorry, but that's the just way it turned out. I mean, he's a Jonin; he shouldn't be acting as childish as he did in the previous chapters and Naruto reminded him of that fact. There might be times when Kakashi thinks he knows something better than Naruto and tries to assert himself in the future or something like that. Who knows?

Anyway, summary time:

1. Naruto has been doing a lot of training under Alex, especially in the areas of chakra control and stealth. During the one month time-skip before wave arc, Alex will also start to teach him the basics of sealing, like storage seals. I've been keeping much of Naruto's actual training secret; this is due to Alex's desire to keep Naruto's abilities a secret  
2. Naruto learns that he can turn invisible. Naruto may have super strength, but that doesn't mean he'll be an up-close fighter all the time. He'll be learning anything that would make him stronger, be it stealth, jutsu, or sensory.  
3. I realized that Naruto hasn't been to Ichiraku's at all in my story yet, so I decided to do a little scene there. Sorry if it seems rushed.  
4. Hinata may be friends with Naruto, but she still stalks the hell out of him. Old habits are hard to break, it seems. ^_^'  
5. In case it wasn't made clear, Naruto's been learning to sense chakra. So far it's going well.  
6. Naruto's method of turning invisible is my own invention. So is the idea of combining that with his Chakra Cloaking.  
7. Breaking into the Hyuuga compound while invisible is going to be one of Naruto's pastimes for when he's bored. My sister pointed out that he could try to learn clan techniques by breaking into the library. I agree; the Kaiten would be easy to perform after his training in blasting chakra out of his tenketsu. Also for the Hakke: Kūshō, you don't need a Byakugan for that. And yes, breaking into Hinata's room will also be a recurring theme.  
8. Naruto learns that Kushina was the previous Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. For those who will think that Naruto was not angry for long, that's the way he is. He does not become genuinely angry unless someone close to him (Hinata) is threatened. Otherwise, he's just kinda pissed. When Alex said that Naruto would end up the same as him in personality, that's the sort of thing he meant. Naruto will retain some things about himself (Like -ttebayo! If I can work it in) but he will pick up some things from my Alex.  
9. Kina has been sealed inside a container since the time of the Shodaime Hokage. For most of that time she was a fox made of chakra, but if you were trapped in two different cages for many decades and hardly ever spoken to, especially when you know that there are people nearby, the loneliness would start to get to you. When Alex removed her from the cage and gave her a human body, she was also given more human feelings, which is mainly the reason why she cried when she remembered that time. This scene literally came out of nowhere when I wrote it. Don't worry, she'll be back to her normally perverted self later.  
10. Alex knows Kushina. I don't mean that he knows about her from canon (Although he still does), I mean that he knows the one from this world personally. In time, I shall reveal Alex's prior involvement in this world at a later time.  
11. Blair is looking for Len Ferro, a Gorem of metal. I was meaning to introduce him in this chapter, but chickened out and decided to leave when I did. I really want to upload this now.  
12. What do you think of my idea? The Gormim are not related by blood, they're related elementally. For instance, Carlos and Len are pretty much brothers due to the relationship between metal and technology. Another example would be the wind Gormim, the Baro family, and the sound Gormim, the Dins. Sound would not be able to exist without air to travel through, so their relationship is something like father/son, or uncle/nephew.

Harem: Here is a list of people I'm not sure should be in the harem. Please tell me if you want one or more of them.

Ino (Lightning, Lampe)  
Blair (Water, Souse)  
Temari (Wind, Baro)  
Yugito + Nibi (Unknown)  
Huh. Shorter list than I thought...

Anyway, thanks to the advice of jdgar78, it has been decided that Anko will become a Blacklight. Great! Now I just have to introduce her and develop her character.

Here's to another completed chapter! Happy April Fools day, or Pesce D'Aprile! North South out. Be sure to leave a review and to hug the Fox-girl on the way out. She needs a hug.

Next time: 'Bout time we got a damn C-rank.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I know what to do for this chapter, I'm back on track! This chapter will mark the beginning of Wave Arc. Enjoy. Note: in the Scattered Foundations, time has no real meaning. A month that passes in one world might only be an hour in the Centerplane (world where the SF is located) or a minute. Beyond minutes, hours and seconds, there is no way to accurately measure time. Also, I've been thinking of writing another story, on top of this one. It's based on a challenge by dracohalo117, Perfection. Let me know if I should or not, I will still write this one, though.  
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Naruto would have noticed Hinata's feelings a _long_ time ago. And if I owned Prototype, James Heller wouldn't want to kill Alex. Sadly, I own neither.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique (underlined)  
**

Chapter 12: Ironclad ideas, chased by snakes, a youthful meeting, and oncoming waves

* * *

(Scattered Foundations, Ferro compound)

Blaire Souse gulped, looking at the building towering before her. Thanks to Storia's tip, she'd quickly found the compound; walking to the edge of the grounds at the Binarius compound, she'd performed a tricky maneuver that had turned her upside-down, where she had seen the other building. The Ferro compound was darker than the Binarius', made roughly from differently colored bricks. The grounds were bare of plants and instead covered in artful metal sculptures as well as various refuse from previous forging failures, although Blair thought she saw a naginata in good condition leaning against a pedestal. _I'm suddenly not so sure about this,_ She thought. With some trepidation, she crossed the grounds and entered the building. She walked quickly through the halls, trying not to draw the attention of the moving suits of armor that worked the forges. She might as well have not bothered, the things had no consciousness to notice with; they merely did as they were ordered by their creators, forging replicas of weapons the Gormim had collected over time. It never hurt to have backups, the Ferros had reasoned. Blair soon found the room she was looking for and knocked hesitantly.

"Come in," A voice called. She let herself in, peering around the door. The room was pretty ordinary, a bookshelf at one wall, a desk at another. A bed stood in the corner, on which lay a muscular young man with gray-blond hair: Len Ferro. (AN: Can't describe the color that well. Imagine Mifune's hair from Soul Eater and you've got it) He sat up and saw her, smiling in greeting. "Heya Blair, what's up? Come on in, but keep your head down."

"Why-" She started to ask, but quickly ducked, an oddly shaped, bronze-colored shuriken spinning over her. It hit the wall and bounced off, quickly striking the adjacent one. It continued in this fashion, ricocheting off of all the surfaces in the room, joined by a multitude of other shuriken. Raising her head again tentatively, she also saw a series of gyroscopes whirling in the air, with no visible means of supporting them.

"I'm practicing with my magnetism," He said, casually snatching one of the flying weapons out of the air without even glancing at it, "I'd say it's going well. So, what'ya want?"

Blair cautiously walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, not looking at him. After what she'd been told about him, the metal-user made her acutely uncomfortable to be around. "I've been putting together a small team," She began quietly, "of Gormim who want to go to one of the Naruto-verses."

"Oh really," Len raised his eyebrows, intrigued, "Why's that?"

"Well, the official plan was that we were going to look for Alex Mercer, one of our members," She started playing with her blue hair distractedly, "But now it's just, 'go to the Chunin Exams and fight.' We've got a village name and everything, Ma-Nigakure."

Len smiled and said pointedly, "If I knew Japanese, that would mean something to me, I'm sure."

Blair blushed in embarrassment and stammered, "It means, 'The Village Hidden in Between.'"

The Ferro burst out laughing. "Ah, man," He chuckled, "Yeah, that's an appropriate name. Who came up with it?"

"Vaga Farwalker," She explained, "He's already in that world, spreading rumors about the village. Also, Nord's in that world and building up a reputation as one of our assassins; he's gonna be the sensei of your team when you get there."

"Nord?" Len lay back thoughtfully. "Well, that's better than it could be I suppose."

"Carlos is on the team as well, and Olivia will be," she told him.

He smirked. "Carlos? How did you convince him to leave that room of his?" He looked at her with shrewd amusement. "Did you fuck him? 'Bout time that dumbass got laid."

"NO!" Blair shouted, causing the metal elemental to wince at the echoes. "I did _not_ sleep with him, okay?"

"Ow, damn," He muttered, rubbing his ringing ears, "Were you ever a member of the Din or what?"

"Shut up!" She snapped at him, "We'll be moving out in four months by their world's time; be ready." She stood up and stomped out of the room, blushing furiously.

Len stared after her. _Water-girls,_ He thought sagely, _can never take a joke._ Then he frowned and stood up, walking over to his table. It was littered with papers, plans for weapons that he intended to recreate. If he was going on an adventure to another world, he would need a special weapon of his own. But what? _I need something unique, something that isn't from another world,_ he thought, _something that I can say is my own invention._ He cast his gaze upwards, looking at a ornate mask that hung on the wall above the desk. "Why not?" He asked himself, "I could use some inspiration." He reached out and, almost reverently, touched the metallic surface of the mask. **"Artakha,"** He muttered. Instantly images and knowledge rushed into his head on how to construct a weapon. But not an ordinary weapon... "Yes," He breathed, "It's brilliant!" He quickly opened a drawer, pulled out several pieces of paper and began drawing, copying the blueprints that had been placed in his mind. "I can finish this in four months, no problem!"

* * *

(Naruto-verse)  
(Time-skip: one month later)

The members of Team 7 were getting sick and tired of being tasked with D-ranked missions. For the past month, that was all that they had done, with training in between. Kakashi, with the absence of his Icha-Icha book, had also resigned himself to teaching his students. From leaf balancing for chakra control, they had moved on to Taijutsu training, which Naruto enjoyed immensely. There was a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing he could beat the so-called Rookie of the Year and his fangirl without even having to draw on his biomass reserves.

One of the things that had changed over the month was Naruto's appearance; the virus in his body had started to alter his physique, improving it to make him as strong as was possible for his age. Fortunately, his Blacklight powers extended to his clothes for some reason, so he continued to wear the orange jacket and pants. His muscles had become more defined, just the right size for him. His favorite things about the changes, though, was his height. Once being the second shortest kid in his class, he was now just below Shino, who was the tallest. While he had been alright with his old height, Naruto found that he liked being tall a lot more. It was easier to make Sakura shut up when he towered over her. Mido had, of course, grown larger as well; the cat and crow forms becoming faster, the snake form stronger.

In an attempt to figure out what exactly was making the former dobe of his class so strong, Sasuke frequently tried to spy on Naruto when the blond went off to train on his own. All attempts failed because, to Sasuke's frustration, Naruto always managed to elude him. It was as if the dobe could sense him and turn invisible, but that wasn't possible. He didn't know how wrong he was in that line of thinking.

Naruto had been receiving training from Alex for the past month. For the most part, they had practiced with chakra control. Alex had been teaching Naruto how to stick to a vertical surface, such as a tree, by applying chakra to the soles of his feet. Also, Naruto had begun learning about the basics of Fuinjutsu; he'd had his clones infiltrate the library and read the books offered on the subject. He was far from considering himself a master of seals, but he at least knew how to create storage and explosive seals now. However, that was not where it stopped; Naruto, after a particularly bad case of boredom, had decided to go back to his pranking roots. Barely a day went by without his teammates being hit by paint balloons and falling into traps. Kakashi in particular was tired of getting a Kage-Bunshin-pie in the face whenever he Shunshined in for the team meeting every morning. He had grown to expect it, but no matter how he tried to anticipate it and dodge, Naruto would somehow keep one step ahead of him and throw it at the place he dodged to. It frustrated the Jonin to no end.

Meanwhile, Hinata had begun trying to create her own techniques, remembering what Naruto had said about finding her own strengths. Naruto often helped her, as it provided the two of them an opportunity to train. Hinata would work on creating a style that allowed her to use her flexibility, and Naruto would work on integrating his Chakra Propulsion into his Taijutsu. He discovered that, apart from using it to speed up his attacks, Naruto had to activate his Adrenaline State in order to properly use the technique. Currently, the two of them were in the midst of a spar; Hinata on the offensive with her modified Jyuuken and Naruto on the defensive, using only Chakra Propulsion to dodge. The Jinchuuriki would fire jets of chakra from specific parts of his body, causing those parts to swing in the opposite direction of the jets and, hopefully, avoid the attack. It had taken a while, but after a week or so, Naruto had gotten the hang of moving in the right direction. Hinata still managed to land some hits on him with her new style, but Naruto had succeeded in dodging a majority of her strikes.

"Nice going," He told her, breathing heavily, at the end of one such session, "You've really improved, ya know?"

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata panted, falling to one knee in exhaustion. She felt elated that she had managed to land those strikes on him. If she had been using chakra in her attacks, she would have done a considerable amount of damage to her opponent. Obviously, she did not want hurt her crush, but the implication of being able to fight so effectively was a good confidence-booster.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at her appraisingly. "Your stuttering has also improved!"

Hinata smiled, pleased that he'd noticed. "Thank you! I've been w-working on it." And indeed she had. Over the past month, Hinata had slowly started to become more confident. Mind you, she still could not pluck up the courage to tell Naruto her feelings, but she could at least remove her jacket in his presence. That was something.

"Ne, you wanna go get something to eat?" Naruto asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

Hinata brightened. While he was not specifically asking her on a date, it was the same feeling. "Sure!"

They went to a nearby bakery, where they got a pair of cinnamon buns and a loaf of bread. Hinata had discovered that Naruto had as much of a love for baked goods as she did, much to her secret joy.

* * *

As they finished off the bread loaf, Naruto frowned suddenly. His chakra senses had alerted him to a presence; someone was following them. The mystery person, whoever he or she was, was doing a damned good job at hiding their signature. He stopped in his tracks, concentrating.

Hinata noticed that he'd stopped and turned to look at him. "Naruto-kun?" She asked.

Naruto suddenly cursed. "Anko," he growled, "She's following me again."

"Who?"

He grimaced. "Anko Mitarashi. She's a Tokubetsu-Jonin, one of the Torture and Interrogation experts of the village and, currently, trying to skin me alive. She's also a psycho bitch who uses snakes."

A kunai whizzed out of the trees as he spoke. Naruto leaned to the side, but the knife still managed to scratch his cheek, drawing a trickle of blood. "Now, now, gaki," Said a singsong voice. A woman, with purple hair styled in a pineapple ponytail, swung out of a tree, landing in front of them, causing Hinata's eyes to bulge at her outfit. She wore a very, _very_ short orange skirt, full-body mesh armor, and a long trench coat, which hung carelessly open, showing a great deal of her large breasts. "Don't I deserve a better introduction for your girlfriend?"

Hinata blushed, while Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. "One, she's not my girlfriend and two, no, you don't."

Anko pouted childishly before vanishing and reappearing behind him, her chest pressed into his back. "What's the matter, gaki, you're still not holding a grudge about the other week, are you?"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, severely aggravated, yet turned on at the same time, by her actions. "You chased me all over the village, threatening to turn me into snake food, over a simple misunderstanding. You'll have to forgive me if I have a less than stellar opinion of you."

"Ooh, looks like you got some balls on you after all, gaki," Anko said, grinning sinisterly, "Not many people would tell me that to my face after being used for my target practice."

Naruto rolled his mismatched eyes, "Some target practice, your aim sucks." The next moment, he sprang forward to avoid the fangs of a large snake, which had sprung from Anko's sleeve.

"Respect your superiors, gaki," Anko said, a look of annoyance finally appearing on her face, though it didn't get rid of her grin, "Last I checked, insulting a Toku-Jo's skills is a one-way ticket to another ass-kicking."

Hinata sensed the incoming danger and tried to defuse the situation. "Um, Mitarashi-san, I don't think N-Naruto-kun meant to insult you..."

"Riiight," Anko said skeptically, not taking her yellow eyes off of Naruto's angry brown and blue ones, "Not buyin' it, girlie. Now blondie owes me an apology for that comment."

Naruto bristled. "That's not happening," He snapped, "I'm just stating a fact; it's your own damn fault that you're taking it the wrong way. You want an apology, you'll have to beat it out of me, and even then, there's no guarantee."

"Naruto-kun!" Groaned Hinata, dismayed at her friend's belligerent attitude.

The grin left Anko's face, leaving a serious expression that spelled death. "Wrong choice of words, gaki." She drew back her fists and made a punching motion. **"Sen'eijashu! (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)**" A pair of large, brown snakes shot out of her sleeves, flying towards the blond Genin.

Ignoring Hinata's cry of warning, Naruto flung out his own arm. "Mido!" The black snake shot out of his sleeve and spiraled, looping around the summoned snakes, before constricting in the air and tightly binding the two bigger snakes with a crunch. The summons hissed in pain and vanished in a puff of smoke. Mido hit the ground and immediately coiled, ready to strike at Anko if need be.

The snake-woman's eyes narrowed at the serpent on the ground. "Where'd you get that snake?" She asked suspiciously. Most snakes weren't likely to attack her, since she was their summoner, but this snake was unfamiliar. As far as she knew, there was no such snake with black scales and green eyes, and there definitely wasn't one that had a mane like that.

Naruto sighed angrily. "Why does everyone keep asking that? This is Mido, he's a snake at the moment, and that's all you need to fucking know!" He ducked under a thrown kunai. "Stop aiming at my face, dattebayo!" He snapped his jaw shut and blushed, suddenly embarrassed.

Hinata blinked in surprise. It had been a long time since Naruto's verbal tic had made itself known. He must be really fed up with Anko if he was using it.

"Sorry, brat, but you've gone and pissed me off, now," Anko said, her wide, insane smile back in place, "I'll leave you alone just as soon as you let me cut you up a bit. Don't worry, the blood loss won't kill you!"

Naruto scowled and gave her the finger. "Again, not happening," he said shortly, "You want my blood so bad, you gotta catch me first." He turned on his heel and with a burst of chakra, sprang away, the trench-coat-wearing Special Jonin in pursuit.

* * *

Hinata watched their retreating forms, a look of blank shock on her face.

"Well, that could've gone better," Said a sheepish voice beside her. Hinata gave a shriek and jumped back, getting into her stance. "Wait, wait, it's just me-ttebayo!" The voice cried quickly. She recognized it and relaxed, a moment later, Naruto shimmered into view, rubbing the back of his head. "Hehe, sorry about that."

Hinata opened her mouth to ask why he was here, but realized the answer before she had to. "Kage Bunshin?"

"Kage Bunshin," Naruto agreed, nodding, "What, you didn't think I'd just ditch you to get chased by Anko, did you?" He bent down and picked up Mido, who happily slithered back up his sleeve. The snake-thing was feeling very smug about the fact that two 'real snakes' had been no match for his strength.

"Y-you know, if you hadn't insulted her like that, she w-wouldn't have attacked you," Hinata admonished. Naruto scowled, but said nothing. "I mean, she's a Special Jonin, telling her she has b-bad aim is not a very good idea-"

"Don't wanna hear it," He grunted.

She bit her lip and looked down. "Sorry..." She said quietly.

Naruto glanced at her suddenly downcast form and sighed, feeling guilty. "You don't have to be sorry, Hinata. I'm just not a fan of being lectured, that's all. Sorry that I yelled at you."

Hinata nodded slightly, not meeting his eyes. They were left in a distinctly uncomfortable and awkward silence. Naruto opened his mouth to try and say something, but before he could, Hinata beat him to it. "Ano, w-what happened to make Anko want to chase you?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, though he was actually glad to be back on track. "Well, about a week ago I set up a prank for Kakashi. I'd heard that he liked dango, so I set up a trap with a plate of the stuff. If he picked it up, a seal on the plate would react and cover him in multicolored paint." He frowned. "Or, at least, that's how it was supposed to work."

"What happened?" Asked Hinata.

Naruto grimaced. "Turns out Anko likes dango as well. So, she tried to take the plate I'd left and got a face...well...front full of paint. You've seen how she dresses, right?"

Hinata nodded.

"Well, imagine wearing that and getting splattered by an array of acrylic paint."

She winced. Not only would it be pretty humiliating to have your breasts suddenly become rainbow-colored, but she imagined it would be very uncomfortable to get out. Acrylic paint was stubborn stuff until it was completely dry, which took several hours. "Then what?"

Naruto scratched his chin. "She started looking around for whoever had dared to sabotage her precious dango- her words, not mine -and, like an idiot, I was standing there, watching. Then she saw me and, obviously, started accusing me of being the one to set that trap for her. Again, like an idiot, I did not deny it and instead just told her that the trap was meant for someone else."

Hinata sighed, putting a hand to her eyes. "I take it she d-didn't back down after that."

"Nope. She summoned a bunch of snakes and started chasing me for a few hours, threatening to castrate me."

"So, that's why you hate her?" She asked.

"I don't hate her. I just _really_ don't like being chased." Naruto replied, shivering. _It brings up too many memories,_ He thought bitterly.

Hinata patted him on the back. "At least she's chasing your clone and not the real you," she said, attempting to comfort her suddenly depressed friend.

Naruto just gave her a flat look, but before he could answer, a loud cry suddenly echoed toward them. "Flames of youth!"

"What was that?" He asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Hinata replied, mystified. "Do y-you think we should investigate?"

"Yeah, sure," Said Naruto, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, "Any person who would shout about 'flames of youth' has gotta be good for some laughs. Come on." They dashed off in the direction the voice had come from. A few minutes later, they encountered one of the oddest things that either of them had ever seen in their lives. A lean, muscular young man stood in a clearing, punching at a tree trunk as if his life depended on it. That wasn't the weird thing, though. No, the weird part was the boy's appearance: his hair was styled in a bowl cut, which gleamed in the sunlight, and he wore a full-body, bright green spandex jumpsuit, which clashed rather horribly with a pair of bright orange leg-warmers. He also had some bandages wrapped around his hands, but the important thing was the jumpsuit.

As the two of them stared at him, Hinata in horror and Naruto in amusement, the boy suddenly stopped punching and turned to look back at them. When they saw his face, Hinata actually took a step back. His eyes were wide and so round it was almost comical, and his eyebrows were extremely thick and bushy. He regarded them with obvious curiosity, before his mouth split in a wide grin and he gave a thumbs up. His white teeth shone painfully bright, and the dumbstruck Hyuuga could have sworn she heard a loud 'PING!' "YOSH! WHAT BRINGS YOUTHFUL PERSONS SUCH AS YOURSELVES TO THIS CLEARING ON SUCH A FINE DAY?" The...youth...asked brightly at full volume.

Naruto, who had found this boy to be one of the funniest things he had ever seen, could no longer contain himself. He doubled over, howling with laughter. Hinata, on the other hand, was not very amused. Her brain simply shut down from the sheer ridiculousness of what she was witnessing, leaving her unable to even form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence.

"Lee!" Yelled an angry female voice.

The bowl-cut-bearing teen looked around, a look of confusion on his face. Before he could do more than utter a "Huh?" A large club whirled through the air and clocked him on the head, knocking him out.

"What have I told you about talking while excited, Lee?" A girl walked over, putting her hands on her hips. She wore a pink, sleeveless Chinese-style shirt and dark green pants. Her brown hair was done up in a pair of buns. She had several short, thick scrolls slung over her back and at her sides, "For Log's sake, I think you broke her, baka," She added, getting a look at Hinata.

Naruto had, by this time, stopped laughing enough to straighten up and glance at his friend. She looked utterly lost, like she had no idea what she had just seen. "Ne, Hinata-chan, you alright?" He asked, concerned. The Hyuuga girl gave no response, except to turn her head and stare at him cluelessly. "Hoo, boy," Naruto muttered. _At least I know what to do._ Whenever Hinata became emotionally overwhelmed, which was not that often, the solution was usually to give her a hug, or a cinnamon bun. Since he did not have the latter, he went with the former, ignoring the strange look the bun-haired girl gave him as he did so. A few seconds later, he felt Hinata shiver as her brain reengaged and he released her.

"Thanks," She mumbled, highly embarrassed at herself. Not only had she shut down again, but she'd done it for such a small reason as to set eyes on such an oddball of a person.

"No problem," Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head and smiling.

"Um, w-would it be alright if I left?" Hinata asked, not looking him in the eye, "I, uh, need to d-do something at home."

The blond boy blinked and nodded. "You don't have to ask me. Go ahead." Hinata bit her lip and walked away, trying desperately to hide her blush. Naruto watched her go before turning to the other girl, scratching his whiskered cheek. "Sorry, that might have seemed kinda strange to you. Did we intrude on something?"

The girl waved her hands in dismissal. "No, no, it's fine! We were just using this clearing for training." She held out her hand. "Name's Tenten, member of Team 9. Nice to meet you."

Naruto's eyes widened as he shook her hand with one of his, the other pulling back his hood. "Tenten? I didn't recognize you! It's me, Naruto Uzumaki, you remember me?" Tenten had been one of the kids who had been in his previous year at the academy. Unlike him, however, she had graduated to Genin and had been put on a team. He hadn't seen her since, which was sad. She was one of the few people who had at least been friendly with him.

Tenten's eyes widened. "N-Naruto? Really? You look so different, I didn't recognize you either! How've you been?"

Naruto grinned, once again tapping his headband. "Oh, you know..."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god, you finally graduated? That's awesome, congrats! I told you you'd get it in the end."

"I nearly didn't," He told her animatedly, "I managed to pass just at the last minute by managing to do a different kind of Bunshin." This was not, strictly speaking, true. His promotion to Genin had been due to his apprehension of the traitor, Mizuki, but he could hardly tell her that. When they had gotten back to the tower, the old man had declared that Naruto's actions be considered as an S-rank mission and thus confidential. "By the way, who's that? Is he one of your teammates?" Naruto asked, pointing at the green-wearing boy, who was still lying unconscious on the ground.

"Yes, he is," Tenten replied, one of her eyelids twitching, "You remember Rock Lee, don't you?"

Naruto's eyes bulged. "_That's_ Lee?" He asked incredulously. Back at the academy, Lee had been the one student whose scores were lower than Naruto's. He had never gotten the specifics, but it was apparently due to a birth defect that he'd had; while Naruto simply lacked the chakra control for simple jutsu, Lee was completely incapable of even performing one. He had been forced to take a different test in order to become a Genin. Still, that did _not_ explain his appearance. "What the hell happened to him?"

"Our sensei happened," Tenten sighed, "Gai-sensei dresses like that and Lee admires him so much that he copied him, bowl-cut, leg-warmers and all."

"Log," said Naruto in horror, "I've heard of idol-worship, but I don't think I've ever seen it taken quite this far. And you're telling me that your sensei dresses like that?"

As the girl nodded, Lee stirred on the ground for a moment before, with a blur of speed, he was back on his feet. "Tenten!" He said with loud reproach, rubbing his head, "That was most uncalled for. I was merely greeting a pair of youthful strangers."

_Damn, that was fast,_ Naruto thought, _I barely saw him move!_

_Just goes to show you,_ Alex said, _The more stupid someone looks, the stronger they probably are._

"You sent the girl into shock, you idiot," Tenten replied, "She's gone now, but you've gotta stop doing that!" She frowned and glanced at Naruto, before saying, "And this isn't a stranger, it's Naruto! You remember him, don't you?"

Lee's abnormally round eyes widened further and a moment later, he was directly in front of Naruto, gripping his shoulders. "Ah, Naruto-kun! It is good to see you, friend!" Lee said loudly, causing the blond to wince.

Naruto's grimace of pain was quickly replaced with a look of mischief. He opened his mouth and boomed, even louder than Lee, "YES, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO, LEE!" Lee balked and fell back, hands to his ears.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked.

"Well, I'd assumed you were deaf from all the shouting you were doing," Naruto snickered, "It's nice to know that isn't the case."

Lee then noticed Naruto's hitai-ate. "Yosh! I see that you have finally managed to overcome your Bunshin obstacle!"

Naruto preened for a moment. "Thank you for noticing without me pointing it out, Lee."

Tenten suddenly asked, "Hey Naruto, who was that girl who ran away because Lee was being awful?"

Ignoring the now-moping Lee, Naruto answered, "Oh, that was Hinata Hyuuga, one of the few people I consider my friend."

"Hinata?" The bun-haired girl frowned, "She wouldn't happen to be related to Neji Hyuuga, would she? Only, he's our third teammate and we often hear her cursing her name whenever he's mad."

"Oh, he _does_, does he?" Naruto's expression became suddenly disturbing and an evil aura manifested around him, "Yeah, they're cousins. Thing is, though, I could've sworn I told him not to badmouth Hinata-chan. Would you mind telling me where he is so I can tear him limb from limb?"

"Yes, I would mind," Tenten deadpanned at him, "For one thing, we don't know where he is; he trains on his own. For another thing, while I agree he's a bit of a jerk, he's also our teammate and we need him. Also, no offense, but I doubt you take him. He's been a ninja longer than you and is considered a prodigy in Jyuuken."

Naruto smirked and pulled his hood back up. "That may be, but I'm not the same weak little kid you knew at the academy either. I've become a lot stronger as well." For a moment, a black mist seemed to swirl at his edges and his eyes- which, the two Genin suddenly noticed, were mismatched -glowed green. Then both mist and greenness vanished and Naruto's smirk became a full smile. "I'll see ya 'round, then. Bye Lee, Tenten-chan." He turned and walked away.

Tenten found herself blushing at the suffix he'd used, to her confusion. _Calm down, Tenten, you've just seen an old acquaintance, that's all. It's not like you suddenly have a crush on him,_ She thought furiously to herself.

Lee stared at the retreating Uzumaki's back, his eyes thoughtful. When Naruto had made that declaration, Lee had seen the certainty in his face and knew that the blond was not merely bluffing; he was, indeed, stronger than he had been at the academy. "I think I would like to fight him, sometime," He said out loud, earning a sigh from his female teammate.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was conversing with Alex. _So, you're telling me Lee always looks like that, in every version of my world?_ He asked incredulously.

_Just about,_ Alex said amusedly, _Also, just as a heads-up, he's probably the only person who can match you in strength without chakra. It's the same with his sensei, Gai..._ Alex suddenly stopped talking, letting his own words catch up with him. "Lee copies Gai," He said out loud, a look of horror dawning on his face, "And dresses the same way...Gai wears green spandex..."

"Alex?" Kina asked, curious as to what could make her fellow tenant crash like that.

"C-could you leave me alone for a while?" Alex shook slightly, "I...I need to..." He vanished before he could finish that sentence, retreating into his own mindscape.

_Hey, what happened?_ Asked Naruto.

_I dunno, Naruto-kun,_ Kina replied, _He just kinda got weird and started saying things about the man who's supposed to be that Lee guy's sensei. Then he went into his mindscape. I don't think he'll be coming out any time soon._

_Huh...that's odd,_ Naruto agreed, _Ah, well, he'll probably be out in an hour or so._

But Alex did not reemerge for the rest of the day. The only sign that he was still present in the mindscape was the manhole cover that led to the giant city which, to the disturbance of Kina, had taken to rattling loudly in its hole. The noise annoyed the two of them, but there was little they could do; whatever Alex was doing down there must be tremendous if it could cause a reaction from the entrance. Still, it took a long time before Naruto could fall asleep that night.

* * *

(The next day)

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura groaned as they received their first mission of the day. Once again, they had to catch that damn cat, Tora! The team, after their first effective time capturing the feline, they had been assigned to the job about five times in the last month alone. Even with the help they got from Mido, and the fact that other teams often did the mission instead, it was still a tedious task.

"You know what?" Naruto asked his teammates, once they had exited the Hokage Tower, "Forget team-building exercises, let's just get the cat and turn it in."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm all for that, dobe, but it's not that simple. Even that cat of yours can only track so well, so how exactly do plan on making this easy?"

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha, pulling back his sleeve to expose the black snake. "Mido, crow form, please." The snake obligingly melted together into a lump on top of his master's arm before reforming into the large corvus. "How else, teme, than with a new technique? **Ninpou: Teisatsu Mure no Jutsu." (Ninja art: Scout Flock Technique)** There was a flicker of shadows, and the area around Team 7 was suddenly crowded with green-eyed crows. Kakashi tensed suspiciously; he didn't quite trust the looks that the birds were giving him. "Alright!" Naruto called, getting the attention of his new minions, "Half you guys switch to cat form and pair up with a crow. Then spread out in teams of two to search the village and the forest. Your target is the usual, a brown cat with a ribbon on one ear. When you find it, the cat on the team will chase it down, transform into a snake, and tie it up. Then the crow will carry it back to us while the other teams dispel. Got all that?" There was a chorus of caws from the assembled biomass entities, "Good. Move out!"

There was a flurry of movement. A number of birds leaped to the ground as cats and ran off in all directions, the crows following suit, leaving Team 7 to stand in the street, gawping. Naruto nodded, satisfied, before turning to look at his stunned teammates. "What?"

Predictably, Sakura was the first to recover. Equally predictably, she got angry. "What the hell, baka? Why didn't you use that jutsu the last five times we did this?"

"Hey, I only thought of it recently!" Naruto said defensively, "Besides," He glanced accusatorily at Kakashi, "_He's_ the one who wanted us to catch him on our own. Something about building teamwork, right sensei?"

_Not that it did any good,_ Kakashi thought dismally. The assistance of Mido had rendered the teamwork part pretty worthless.

About a minute later, a crow swooped overhead, dropping a large parcel, which Sasuke quickly caught, and coming to land on Naruto's shoulder. It was Tora, wrapped in what looked like a thick, scaly, black rope. The cat was wriggling and yowling so much and so fiercely that the dark-haired boy nearly dropped him. Naruto scowled, clapping his hands over his ears at the squalling. If there was one thing he hated, it was loud, persistent noises. "Give it here," He told Sasuke, grabbing the feline. He held it up so their faces were inches apart, green eyes with crossed pupils glaring into yellow ones with slits. "Shut. Up. Or I will make him bite you again," He commanded in a deadly quiet voice. The cat immediately stopped; it remembered being bitten by the cat-snake-thing frequently. "Good kitty," Naruto said cheerfully, tossing him to Sakura, who staggered; Tora was a very heavy housecat.

They walked back into the tower and up the stairs, coming to the door of the Hokage's office. They pushed through and once again found the Daimyo's wife, Lady Shirai, standing fretfully by the old man's desk. "Tora!" she cried, sweeping the hog-tied cat from Sakura's arms and crushing it to her bosom. The snake that kept Tora bound quickly dispelled.

After the usual fuss, Lady Shirai swept out of the room, taking the accursed feline with her. "Well, you three," Sarutobi began, smiling genially, "You certainly finished that mission quickly. If you want another mission, we have a wide variety; there's painting a fence, walking the Inuzuka's dogs, babysitting-"

"Tora!" Came a shout from outside the office.

"-or catching Tora again," The old man finished smoothly, "So, which one do you want?"

Kakashi saw the look in Naruto's eyes, and knew it did not bode well. "Naruto..." He warned, but he was too late.

"Oh, oh, I know!" The blond said brightly, but everyone heard the frustration in the undertone, "How about _none of the above!"_ He finished on a yell, causing a mass wince at the suddenly intense volume, "Come on, Jiji, we've done more than enough boring D-ranks. Can't we do something tougher?" He whined.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto and forced him into a headlock. "Sorry about that, Hokage-sama." To Naruto, he hissed under his breath, "Get a grip on yourself, Naruto! Whining at the Hokage is not the way to get a more dangerous mission."

From his position under his sensei's arm, Naruto rolled his eyes and made a couple of hand-signs. There were two puffs of smoke in quick succession. When they cleared, a Kage Bunshin remained in Naruto's place. The real one strode right up to Sarutobi's desk and slammed his hands on it. "Here's how it's gonna work, Jiji," Naruto said, with an air of forced calm, "Either we get a C-rank, or I'm gonna snap! And we both know what happens then."

Sarutobi frowned. He did indeed know what might happen; Naruto could begin drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra. Something told the old Kage that Naruto would do if pressed hard enough. And if that happened, even if nobody got hurt, the council would find some way to go over his head and execute the boy. But he was getting ahead of himself. "Well, Naruto," He began, "It's really up to your Jonin-sensei to decide if you're ready. So, what do you think, Kakashi?"

The silver-haired Jonin stiffened as he felt the eyes of all three of his students bore into him. _You just had to put me on the spot, didn't you Hokage-sama?_ He thought glumly. He assessed each member of Team 7. Sakura, at least, was probably not ready; she did very little training outside of what they normally did. Sasuke, on the other hand, trained extensively in the fire techniques of his clan, so he might stand a chance. Naruto...Kakashi had no clue what the blond jinchuuriki did on his own time. As he locked eyes with the boy, however, Kakashi knew at least one thing; if he said no, Naruto _would_ find a way to heavily mutilate him. "Yeah, I'd say they're ready," He said casually. _Better to go with the safer option._

The Sandaime nodded briskly. "Very well," He said, "As it so happens, I've got just the thing for you; a C-rank escort mission. I'll have the client brought up." He pressed the seal for his secretary and channeled some chakra to activate it. "Send in Tazuna!" He called.

* * *

AN: Chapter 12 complete. If nobody likes this chapter, I don't blame you. It's disjointed, rushed, and it's a filler. However, next chapter will be better, I promise; 'cause that's when Wave arc truly begins. Before then, however, I will also be starting work on another fic. It is based on the Perfection Challenge by dracohalo117. My sister, Awesomeness Incarnate, has taken up the same challenge and has already published her first chapter of it. As such, production of the next chapter of this fic will probably slow even more (sorry guys).

Summary:

1. A new Gorem is introduced: Len Ferro, with his habit of poking fun at people and his control over metal. I do indeed have an idea of what his weapon will be, but if you want to know, you must ask me specifically, otherwise you'll have to wait. Also, Len will be one of the Gormim to participate in the Chunin Exams.  
2. Naruto has made some improvements over the month; the Blacklight virus has improved his physical body to make him stronger. Hinata has also started working on her new style and is slightly more confident. How confident? The next chapter might give you a bit of an idea.  
3. Introducing Anko. Yeah, that scene could have been better, but you know what? I wanted to get this chapter over with. I will show her more in the future, though. Naruto may have a bit of annoyance, but he'll get over it. Eventually.  
4. Naruto does not like being chased at all. While he was not abused in this fic as badly as in some others, he still got pursued by mobs on his birthday. They never got to hurt him, but still, if that doesn't instill a phobia, then I don't know what does.  
5. Naruto and Hinata meet Neji's teammates. Naruto finds Lee's appearance to be hilarious while Hinata finds it painful to even look at.  
6. Alex knows what Gai normally looks like already. The reason he reacted so badly to realizing that this world's Gai does the same is one of the secrets of his past in this world. I'm just going to come out and say it, Alex has left a _very_ big mark on this Naruto-verse and some of its inhabitants. You will see how much later.  
7. Naruto gets frustrated with D-ranks and complains to Sarutobi. I mean, come on, if you were tasked with doing chores for a month and you knew you were technically able to do more important things, wouldn't you do the same?  
8. At last, we get to the coveted Wave Arc! I've got big plans for this, including the return of our favorite messenger and wind-assassin.

Harem news: here are some more people I might consider to be paired with Naruto. Let me know who you want in your reviews.

Samui (Lightning, Lampe)  
Kurotsuchi (Earth, Gloma)  
Mei Terumi (Water, Souse)

Well, that brings chapter 12 of COG: NOT to a close. Good bye, so long, leave review, I'm gone. North South out. (If you recognize the song I'm referencing, you win.)

Next time: Gonna need some backup...


	13. Chapter 13

AN: This chapter's gonna take a while to finish, not just because of the length, but also because I'll be working on the first chapter of my challenge fic. That said, I'll probably want to finish wave arc before I can properly start the challenge. But that's irrelevant! Let the Wave Arc commence!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Prototype. Neither do I own any materials referenced in this fic, apart from the Gormim themselves.

"Speech"_  
Thoughts  
Inner being to outer being_**  
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form****  
Jutsu/Technique**

* * *

Chapter 13: Saying goodbye, ambushed by a puddle, return of the messenger, and backup

The door opened and an old man with lopsided glasses, a mustache, and a wide-brimmed straw hat stumbled in. He had a jug of sake clutched in one hand and his eyes flickered blearily around to each of them. "This is it?" He slurred grumpily, "I go to all the trouble to hire ninjas and this is what I get; a shady-looking beanpole painted orange," Naruto snorted quietly, "Some emo kid with a duck's ass glued to his head," Sasuke glared at the old man but kept silent, a hand jumping surreptitiously to the back of his hair. The man, presumably Tazuna, finally glanced at Sakura. "And...some pink-haired little guy."

It took Sakura a full five seconds to realize just what, exactly, Tazuna had said. When it sank in, her eyes went wide and her face colored with anger. "I'm a girl, you bastard!" She yelled, making to leap at the old man.

She was quickly restrained by Kakashi, who held her shoulders while she struggled. "Mah, mah, Sakura," He admonished, "It's not good for business to threaten the client. Don't worry sir," He addressed Tazuna, "These three are quite capable of guarding you. And if they're not, I'm a Jonin, so I can still protect you."

At this point, Naruto stepped forward and asked, "So, why are we guarding him?"

The old man huffed and said proudly, "I am the super bridge builder, Tazuna! I came to this village from Wave Country for supplies. I'll need you brats to protect me from bandits so I can make it back home."

"Wait," Sasuke started, "Nami no Kuni? As in, we're going outside of the country?"

Naruto perked up at that. He'd never been outside the village before. Obviously he'd wanted to, to get away from the mobs and the village in general, but Jiji had told him that he was too young to go beyond the walls, that it was safer for him to remain there. He seriously doubted that, but now he could leave! So long, suckers! "When do we depart?" He asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow," Kakashi answered, "We'll need some time to prepare for the journey. Be at the Konoha gates at 9:00 in the morning tomorrow."

_Meaning 12:00,_ Kina said, grinning, _Unless he intends to be on time for something this important._

_Seems likely,_ Naruto agreed.

* * *

They left the tower and went their separate ways, Sakura going home to start packing early, Sasuke heading to the training grounds to get in some last minute practice, and Naruto wandering through town again.

As always, the Jinchuuriki ignored the angry glares and whispered insults he got from the villagers as he passed them. He'd found that if he did not acknowledge them, their behavior would usually stay at the level of dirty looks and mutters of 'demon brat.' Well, now he'd be rid of them, at least for a while.

_Hey, I'm back,_ Alex's voice said suddenly. Naruto jumped at the abruptness with which the Blacklight had reappeared, _What'd I miss?_

_We got our first C-rank just now,_ Naruto told him, _and also, what the hell have you been doing? You just vanished without warning yesterday._

_Nothing,_ Alex replied shiftily, _I just needed to do some venting. So, what's the mission?_

_We're escorting this old bridge builder to Wave County,_ Naruto said enthusiastically, though he was still a little suspicious, _I wonder what it'll be like._

There was a long silence from Alex. _I'm sure it will be...very eventful._ He said, an odd undertone to his voice.

Kina, who was listening in, heard the unease with which her fellow tenant spoke, as well as saw the suddenly guarded look on his face. "What is it?" She asked Alex, "You know something about that mission, don't you? It's one of those canon things, right?" When he nodded in answer, she said, "Then why don't you say something about it?"

"It's never a good idea to tell someone of their future," Alex replied gravely, "It can have drastic consequences. Besides, the Wave mission does not always go the same way; in a world like this, there are bound to be some major differences."

Meanwhile, Naruto had gone to Ichiraku's and was inhaling his ramen at his usual pace.

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood, Naruto-kun," Teuchi commented, bringing in another two bowls, "Did something happen?"

Naruto merely grinned, setting down his current bowl. "We got our first C-rank today," He said proudly, "Kakashi told Jiji that he thought we were ready. We're gonna be going to Wave Country!"

Both Teuchi and Ayame glanced at each other, smiling sadly. They knew why the prospect of getting out of the village would excite the blond so much. "Ne, have you told Hinata-chan about it, yet?" Ayame asked teasingly. She had a feeling the Hyuuga girl would want to know where the object of her affections would be for the next few weeks.

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "No, I haven't," he muttered, partly to himself, "Maybe I should." He slapped down some Ryo, waited for the change, and left, looking for his blue-haired friend. Then he remembered that he had Mido and sent the crow to look for her. Five minutes later, he received a signal and her location. He set off, wondering how she'd react when he told her.

* * *

(Training ground 16)

Team 8 was currently wrapping up a sparring session. Kiba and Akamaru relaxed by the side while Kurenai stood watching. Hinata was, at the moment, dodging yet another cloud of bugs from Shino. The Kikaichu were capable of eating the chakra of whatever they landed on, making Jyuuken useless against them. And Shino's whole body was full of the things. As she jumped back to avoid being swarmed, she thought, There's no way to get at him except through those bugs. I need to be close to him to have an advantage, but instead, I'm being pushed back.

"Give up, Hinata-san," Shino spoke up over the droning buzz of his insects. Evidently, he was thinking the same thing, "Without your Taijutsu, you do not have any way to defeat me."

Hinata merely scowled and began throwing kunai and shuriken through the bug cloud, hoping to hit the Aburame. The sunglasses-wearing boy merely sidestepped most of them, however. She was starting to get frustrated; it seemed that the only way to proceed would be to run through the Kikai, and if she did, they would drain her of all her chakra before she even got to him. _Or would they?_ She wondered suddenly.

What happened next would later be described as 'something Naruto would do.' She suddenly sprinted headlong into the swarm, her arms up to protect her head. Instantly some Kikai landed on her and began to devour her chakra. She ran on regardless, though she could feel herself growing weaker. Shino could not see what was going on behind the cloud, but he did know that she had run in. _Odd,_ He thought, _To run in like that seems illogical at best. Why would she..._

At that moment, the blue-haired girl burst out of the haze without warning. The tall boy was taken by surprise, allowing her to get in close. By the time he got his bearings, it was too late; Hinata had closed the distance between them and lashed out, her fingertips glowing similarly to a Jyuuken strike. The attack, however, was not a straight, powerful jab like normal Jyuuken; instead, it was a sweeping whip of her fingers, the glowing tips swiping across Shino's front. The extended chakra in the attack passed through many chakra pathways, rather than just one like Jyuuken. The pathways hit by the attack were overloaded by the foreign chakra, the excess spilling out into the surrounding muscle and causing some pain for the quiet Aburame.

Shino stumbled back with a grunt of pain. Hinata kept close and pointed at his chest, her hand glowing for a Jyuuken strike. "Yield," She said triumphantly.

He nodded and, after she had stepped back, with a mental command, summoned his Kikaichu to him. They swarmed over his body and under his jacket, finding the holes in his body that would lead to their hive.

"Excellent work, you two," Kurenai said, walking over to them, "You've made some real improvement over the last month in particular, Hinata."

"Th-thanks, sensei," Hinata panted, smiling proudly. She swayed a little, the insects had taken quite a sizable amount of chakra from her, she realized.

"That was quite a risky gamble you took, Hinata-san," Shino said, offering his own congratulations, "I honestly did not see it coming. A real battle could be decided in your favor if you do unpredictable things such as that."

"Thank you, Shino-kun."

All of a sudden, Akamaru began barking madly, causing them to jump; the puppy was almost never aggressive outside of battle. They all turned to look at whatever had set him off. A short way away, a black cat sat, staring back at them impassively with green eyes. Hinata recognized it instantly as Mido, but resisted the urge to look around and see if Naruto was near. Chances were he was, or soon would be. The cat, ignoring Akamaru, ran over to them and jumped into Hinata's arms, purring. Her teammates stared at her.

"Oi, Hinata-chan, why do you have a cat?" Kiba asked angrily. As an Inuzuka, he hated cats with a passion, mainly because of his dog-like instincts. The idea of his Hinata-chan having one near her was making him mad.

"He's Naruto-kun's," Hinata replied coolly. She turned Kurenai, "I think I should go give him back; Naruto-kun will probably be wondering where he is."

The Jonin-sensei frowned for a moment before nodding, and Hinata left the training ground to look for Naruto.

The moment she was out of sight of her team, Naruto's voice murmured, "Nice thinking. If you show up late and they ask you where you were, you can honestly say you were with me."

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted, trying not to jump as the blond materialized out of thin air, "Why exactly did you l-lure me away from my team?"

He merely grinned. "Well, I wanted to tell you that my team just got assigned a C-rank mission and we'll be out of town for a while, in Wave country. So, if you don't see me around for a few weeks, that's why."

Hinata's heart sank a little. 'A few weeks,' as he put it, without her friend? She missed him already; the thought of going even one week without his foxy grin (even if it was fake most of the time) and his expressive, differently colored eyes was one that filled her with depression at the prospect.

Naruto noticed the blue-haired Hyuuga's suddenly downcast expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," She said quietly, "It's just that, well, that's a long journey, isn't it? W-what if you run into a missing-nin and g-get hurt?"

He smiled and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Hina-chan, we'll be fine; we've got Kakashi-sensei, and I'm not that weak either. Besides, it's a C-rank mission, so we shouldn't run into anyone too dangerous."

(Meanwhile, on a country road, a man with his head wrapped in a green scarf suddenly sneezed. He quickly ran off to get the scarf cleaned. The Narrator laughed at him.)

"It'll be okay, Hinata," Naruto told her gently.

Hinata looked down for a moment. Then she said, quietly, "D-do you promise?"

"What?"

"I said, do you promise?" She looked up at him, and he could see the worry in her lavender eyes, "Please...promise me that you'll come b-back alive."

Naruto was stunned. While he and Hinata had become good friends, he had no idea that she would care enough to ask him such a thing. (In his mindscape, both Alex and Kina face-palmed in perfect unison, unrehearsed.) Finally, he found his voice and said firmly, "I will make it back to this village alive. And that," He held up his thumb in an unwitting imitation of Lee, "Is the promise of a lifetime-ttebayo!"

She smiled warmly and, without another word, turned to walk back the way they had come. Before she got more than a few feet, however, she stopped, turned, and walked back towards him. "What is it?" He asked her, only to suddenly get nervous as she got into his personal space. From what he could see of her face, she was steeling herself to do something. He quickly found out what that was; when the two of them were only inches apart, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him, her soft lips pressed to his cheek. After a second or two, she backed off and ran, her face a bright red, not daring to look back at the boy she loved.

Naruto stood rooted to the spot. In a daze, his hand drifted to the cheek she had kissed. _What...what just happened?_ He thought in shock.

When he finally went home, packed up, and fell into bed, his mind still dwelled on the warm feeling of her lips, trying futilely to understand why she had done that.

* * *

(Next morning)

Naruto showed up at the village gates at 8:55, right as his other teammates did so, carrying large backpacks full of things they would need for the trip.

"So, you think Kakashi-sensei's gonna show up on time today?" He asked without preamble as they got within earshot.

"Who knows?" Said Sasuke, shrugging.

Sakura, meanwhile, had noticed the fact that Naruto was not wearing a backpack like them. She immediately assumed that the lazy baka had forgotten to pack. "Oi, Naruto, where's your stuff?" She asked irritably. She did not appreciate the fact that they had had to get up so early for this.

In answer, Naruto held up a small satchel he had slung at his side. "Storage scrolls," he said simply, "One for supplies, one for food, one for snacks," Sasuke and Sakura sweatdropped at the thought of the blond having a separate scroll for snacks, "And one for instant ramen," Naruto finished, keeping his face determinedly straight.

At this, both Genin face-faulted. Sakura, of course, was first to comment "What the hell is it with you and ramen? That much can't be good for you!" In answer, Naruto merely pulled out his stolen copy of Icha-Icha and started reading, much to Sakura's irritation. "Don't ignore me, dammit!" She shouted.

"My my, yelling so early in the morning, are we?" Said a familiar voice. Two of the three students looked around to see Kakashi standing by, a hand on Tazuna's shoulder. "Ready to go?" He asked innocently.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his sensei. "Well I'll be, you're actually on time, for once," He appraised mockingly.

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" Tazuna asked, a bottle of sake in his hand.

"For Naruto to stop reading," Kakashi muttered, his eye on the orange book.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up, "You say something, sensei?"

"Never mind."

The heterochromic boy shrugged. "A' right, let's go-oof!" Naruto had turned to stride out through the gates, only to crash into someone coming in and knocking him over. "S-sorry," He stammered, holding out a hand to help him up "Didn't see you there. You alright?"

"Ah, yes, I am alright," the stranger said, grabbing the proffered hand and getting hauled to his feet. "I was not really looking where I was going either."

They walked around each other, each studying the other. The stranger wondered how a ninja (he'd noticed the hitai-ate) could get by wearing so much orange. Naruto wondered if the tall man used those brass darts as weapons and, if so, how he could do it effectively.

"Oi, Naruto, you coming?" Kakashi called.

Naruto broke eye contact with the black-haired man and ran to join his team, so he missed the look of shock and recognition that crossed the stranger's face. Vaga Farwalker could not believe that he had just run into the eponymous character of the universe and not even recognized him. He filed that little fact away in his mind, but for now, he had a task to perform.

Team 7, plus Tazuna, walked down the wide dirt road leading away from the village. Naruto was turning as he walked, taking in the surroundings. So far, things looked pretty damn similar to the inside of the village; just trees as far as he could see on either side of the road. The air though, was a lot cleaner, more open somehow.

_So Naruto, what's it like to finally get out of town?_ Alex asked.

_...Refreshing,_ Naruto answered cheerfully, _No asshole villagers baying for my blood, no crappy apartment buildings, no creepy cockroaches that 'just want to get to get friendly.'_

There was a silence in which Naruto could feel the sweat-drop from his primary tenant. _You really need to get rid of those,_ Kina said.

_I know, but they're roaches, for Log's sake! I _can't_ get rid of them!_

_I agree,_ Alex cut in, _It'd take one of your full-powered Imaris to wipe out a roach._

"How do you know about the Imari?" She asked him, surprised, "As far as I can remember, no Bijuu has ever even needed to use one, so how-"

"Alternate dimensions," The Blacklight interrupted shortly.

"Oh, right..."

Meanwhile, Sakura had started asking Tazuna questions about Wave Country, causing Naruto to drift over to them in interest.

"We don't have a ninja system," He was telling her, "We just live on a little island, do some farming, and trade with other countries."

"Do you make sake, too?" Naruto asked from behind them. When the old man looked back at him, he pointed at the small jug clutched in Tazuna's hand. "It's just that that's the same jug as the one you had yesterday."

"How the hell can you tell that?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto merely grinned, his eyes hidden beneath his hood. "I just can."

The old bridge builder laughed. "You know, for such a shady looking guy, you're not so bad, kid."

"Uh, thanks..."

He held out the jug to the confused blond. "Here, have a swig," He said jovially.

The moment the bottle got near Naruto's face and he smelled the alcohol fumes, however, he stiffened, his pupils shrinking and his face paling. His vision swam and a feeling of utter nausea filled him. He fell to his suddenly weak knees and began coughing violently.

"Naruto!" Kakashi was at his side immediately, "What is it, Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto opened his mouth but could not say anything as his stomach lurched.

_Crap,_ Came Alex's voice, _I was afraid this would happen!_

_Alex,_ Naruto groaned internally, _What the hell is wrong with me?_

_Alcohol is one of the few weaknesses we Blacklights have,_ Alex said, _Since our power comes from a virus, any amount of it is extremely harmful. However, since you are still mostly human and have Kina-chan's youki, the most it can do is make you really sick._

"What does it do to you, then, if Naruto is better off?" Kina asked him.

He grimaced. "It eats through me like acid. I usually have to consume a huge amount of food before I can heal from something like that."

Meanwhile, Naruto had recovered enough to stand up and tell the others that he was fine, although he'd have to pass on the sake.

* * *

For the next couple of hours, they kept walking. Although Naruto had told his teammates that he was alright, he found himself experiencing short periods of mental blankness. He would be walking along normally and then suddenly stagger dizzily, with no recollection of what had happened a few seconds ago, after which, his vision would cloud over slightly. Kakashi would look back at him and ask again if he was fine. Naruto would insist that he was and that he could keep going. It was during one of those hazy moments that the five of them passed by a puddle sitting by the side of the road. Naruto wasn't entirely sure what had happened; one moment everything was fine, the next Sakura screamed, "Kakashi-sensei!"

He whirled around to see their sensei bound in a chain made of shuriken. Crouched on either side of him were two shinobi; they wore special breathing apparatuses and headbands depicting the four zigzag lines of Kirigakure. The headbands each bore a large scratch through the center of insignia, marking them as nuke-nin. They each wore a large, clawed gauntlet with one end of the chain attached, linking the two men together. "One down..." one of them whispered. In unison, they pulled away with their gauntlets, shredding Kakashi to pieces.

The Genin could only watch in horror (except for Naruto, who just felt confused) as the two nuke-nin set their sights on them. "Four to go!" the other one called gleefully. They both dashed at the group, the one on the left swinging his claws at Naruto. At the act of aggression, however, Naruto's mind suddenly cleared itself, his eyes becoming green. He jumped back, out of range of the gauntlet, but the tips of the claws managed to catch the side of his left arm, leaving several long scratches along the side. He hissed with pain but quickly pointed his other arm at the man. Mido shot out of his sleeve like a black spear, his sharp teeth finding the man's neck and biting down. The nuke-nin cried out for a moment before slumping to the ground limply.

"Brother!" The other one cried out. With a flick of his wrist, he detached the chain from his own gauntlet and rushed the blond. "Screw the bridge builder, you die now, brat!"

By this time, Naruto was prepared to meet him. His reflexes sharpened by his Adrenaline State, he ducked under the swinging claw. "Too slow!" He shot back up, his fist colliding with the metal-clad jaw of his assailant. Then he quickly pulled back and spun, shunting chakra into and out of his leg, the kick landing with full force in the would-be murderer's side, before spinning in the opposite direction and using the momentum to deliver another biomass-heavy punch to the side of his head. The former Kiri-nin fell back, dazed for a moment, but quickly recovered and blocked Naruto's next swing, before aiming a sharp jab at his stomach that would disembowel the blond bastard. That is, if it hit.

However, Naruto saw the incoming attack and thrust his chakra to his front while throwing himself back. As a result, he shot out of the ninja's attack range.

The rogue shinobi growled and ran after him. But before he got within five feet of Naruto, a strong forearm crashed into his wind pipe; Kakashi had reappeared and clothes-lined the enemy, who dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"S-Sensei?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"We thought you were dead!" Tazuna burst out, "How are you still alive?"

Kakashi merely pointed at where his body had lain. Looking over, they saw that instead of being strewn with bits of flesh and gore, the ground was covered in little carved bits of wood; the silver-haired man had Kawirimied at the last second.

"Why the hell didn't you come and fight them sooner, then?" Sasuke asked irritably, "We could've died."

"I wanted to see how well you would do, as well as what you'd do," He replied, "So, while it was pretty impressive the way you fought them off, Naruto, the mission is to protect Tazuna-san." He looked down at the bodies of the two ninjas. "Gozu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers of the Mist. A pair of Chunin-level former shinobi from Kirigakure," Having identified them, he fixed a suddenly hostile eye on Tazuna, "Big names to be encountered on a mere C-ranked mission, eh Tazuna-san?"

The old man paled and started sweating. "W-what do you mean?" He asked.

"'Screw the bridge builder, you die now, brat!'" Naruto quoted in a monotone, "Makes it sound like he was supposed to go after you. Like someone hired him to take you out. Ya know anything about that?"

Tazuna quailed under the accusing glares of Team 7 before finally staring at his feet. "You're right," He said quietly, "I lied about the difficulty of the mission." Then he looked up and they were surprised to see a desperate look in his eyes, "But you have to believe me, I had to do it! If I could have afforded it I would've hired more experienced ninjas, but I just couldn't! I needed protection no matter what, so I had to lie! Please, I need you people or everything we have done will all be for nothing!" He pleaded.

"What sort of thing would make you ask a team of Genin for protection?" Sasuke asked scornfully, his opinion of Tazuna having fallen a bit.

For a moment, there was silence. "I suppose I might as well just come out with it now," Tazuna murmured, more to himself than to them, "Alright...for the past few years or so, my country has been under the control of Gato. He's the leader of this huge shipping company, and he set his sights our island. Once he got there, he took over all of our trading ports and forbade us from growing our own crops, all the while draining away all our money. He's basically enslaved us, and if anyone stands up to him, he hires mercenaries to get rid of them. He even had our Daimyo assassinated. He's been making our lives hell! But there is one way to break his control."

Kakashi's eye widened. "The bridge."

"Right. My bridge will connect our island to the mainland and allow us to trade freely again, causing Gato to lose his grip on the island. The thing is, Gato knows this and has tried sabotaging the construction. It hasn't worked that well, though, so it is almost done! However, I recently got wind of the fact that that swine might start hiring ninja to get rid of me; after all, without me the bridge can't be completed. So I scraped together the little money I have left and headed here to hire some protection of my own." Tazuna took a distracted swig of sake as he finished.

Silence fell again with the end of the old man's story. Finally, Kakashi sighed and said, "With the Demon Brother's showing up, the mission has already become a B-rank, at least. If even stronger ninja show up, it could get dangerous for us. Naruto has already been injured and those two use poison in their weapons-"

"They do?" Naruto looked briefly alarmed, then annoyed, "Nice of you to mention that before now, sensei."

"Eheheheh..."

_Don't worry,_ Alex said reassuringly _The Blacklight virus breaks down such poisons and adapts to them. You've got nothing to worry about._

_Fine, but I've still got a huge gash in my arm! And my sleeve...I liked that sleeve, dammit!_

Alex sweat-dropped. _Have you forgotten that you can regenerate? Also, Blacklight regeneration extends to your clothes, do not ask me why._

"Never mind," Naruto said out loud, overriding Kakashi's suggestion of going back to the village for treatment, "If the poison was going to affect me, it already would have while the old man was telling his story. Since nothing's happening, I'm just gonna assume that the fact I'm already healing means I'm fine." To emphasize his point, he held up his injured forearm. The limb had stopped hurting soon after he had gotten the wound, causing him to forget about it for a while. As the others watched, astonished, the scratch shrank away to nothing and vanished.

_It must be because of the Kyuubi,_ Kakashi thought, impressed, _I haven't seen regeneration that fast and drastic since the war..._ He shook his head; he did not want to remember the war that had taken Obito from him. A gasp from Sakura drew his attention and he looked back at Naruto, only to gape at a bizarre sight; Naruto's sleeve was repairing itself in the same manner as his wound.

Naruto was also looking at his regenerating sleeve, but with interest. Once the rip had been repaired, he looked up at his stunned teammates. "What?" When none of them answered, he shrugged and said, "So, now that that's out of the way, what are we gonna do about the mission, sensei?"

The silver-haired Jonin blinked at the change of subject before clearing his throat. "Well, since we're a team, I guess we should take a vote; who wants to continue this mission and who wants to go home?"

Tazuna watched with great trepidation, knowing that the fate of his country could be decided by the three Genin.

Sasuke was first to speak up. "I say we keep going. This is our first C-rank mission and we should see it through to the end. No tyrant is gonna make me back down!"

"If Sasuke-kun's going, so am I," Sakura stated, looking determined.

Of course, Kakashi thought, though he had no doubt as to the amount of usefulness that the pink-haired girl would provide. "Naruto?"

Naruto thought for a long time. For a moment, they thought he would say to go back. Finally, he looked up and said, "I say we keep going, too..." Kakashi nodded and turned away, "...But," Naruto spoke again, causing his sensei to look back at him, "If you're right about there being stronger ninjas ahead, I think we should send a message back to Konoha and get another team as backup."

The cyclopean man was taken aback at the idea Naruto had put forward. He turned to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san. We have decided to continue with the mission, but since you lied to us, you will have to pay double the price for a B-rank, once the bridge is complete and your country gets its money back. Is this acceptable?"

The old man nodded, falling to his knees with tears streaming from his eyes. "Y-yes, it is. Thank you, thank you all for this!"

Producing some sheets of paper, an envelope and a pencil out one of his storage scrolls, Naruto handed them to his sensei, who gave him a strange look before writing down a message to the Hokage, requesting that another Genin team be sent to them as backup. Sparing another glance at his heterochromic student, he added the strange things he'd noticed about the boy in his letter. Things like his high-speed regeneration, the automatic repairing of his clothes, the surprising strength he'd shown when fighting the Demon Brothers, the bout of illness he'd suffered when exposed to Tazuna-san's sake, and the fact that he kept things such as writing materials in his storage scrolls. Once he was finished, he sealed the envelope and prepared to summon Pakkun and have him carry the message back.

"Wait," Naruto said abruptly, holding up his hand, "Why don't we use Mido? You won't have to waste chakra with a summoning and he can travel through the air."

Again, Kakashi was taken aback by Naruto's thoughtfulness. Then he realized the words that he'd used and frowned, wondering how Naruto knew he was going to use the Kuchiyose.

Mido transformed into his crow form, taking the envelope in his beak before taking off toward Konoha, moving at speeds that no crow should be capable of.

* * *

(a while later)

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, sat at his desk. He glared with the utmost hatred at his greatest of foes, the bane of all Kages: Paperwork.

_I will figure out your weakness, scum,_ He thought savagely, _Minato figured it out and so will I!_

His thoughts of conquest were interrupted by a rapping at the window. He turned in his chair to see a crow perched outside, a letter clutched in its beak. His face became serious as he opened the window; he recognized the crow that Naruto sometimes had with him, plus he saw Kakashi's handwriting on the envelope. Sarutobi took the letter and quickly opened it before reading the message. As he read, the lines of his face grew deeper and more grave. The part that drew his attention, however, was the list of odd things that had been happening with his surrogate grandson. Kakashi believed that these characteristics to be due to the Kyuubi's influence, and he had to admit that the regeneration and strength could indeed be attributed to the demon fox. The illness due to alcohol, however, was another matter entirely.

As the aged Kage thought things over, he began to remember the changes that Naruto had been going through since his graduation; the sarcastic manner with which he treated his teammates, the way his attitude would be apathetic and lazy one moment and energetic and excitable, the way that his eyes had changed when angered, the strange pet that he had acquired through a strange jutsu (AN: let's just assume that Sarutobi has watched Naruto through his crystal ball at times), the frustration he displayed when unable to do more than D-ranks, and, of course, his apparent weakness when exposed to sake. As Sarutobi remembered these details, a feeling of dread rose in him. All of these things were traits that he had seen before, in another Genin, a long time ago. Could it be that...

This time his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in," he called, quickly stuffing the letter out of sight under his robes. The door opened and Kurenai Yuhi entered, looking exasperated, followed by her team.

"Sorry to interrupt, Hokage-sama, but my team has been insisting on going on a C-rank mission," Kurenai apologized.

"Damn right," Kiba burst out angrily, "If that dobe gets to go on a higher mission, then so do we! We're more than ready!"

Hinata merely sighed irritably and shook her head while Shino gave no outward reaction, though he was of the same opinion as his female teammate. Privately, Kurenai believed that her team certainly had the skills to perform a C-ranked mission, she also felt that they (or Kiba, at least) were not ready in maturity. Still, she knew she could count on Hinata and Shino to keep Kiba from going too far. "I also believe that my team is ready for such a mission, Hokage-sama."

"I'm sorry, Kurenai, but we are all out of C-ranks," The Sandaime began, before remembering Kakashi's request for another team, "However, there is a mission in progress that needs backup; Kakashi's team ran into the Demon Brothers of the Mist and their C-rank has been upgraded to a B-rank. He just sent a message back asking for another team to come help. What do you say?"

Kiba let out a bark of obnoxious laughter. "Hah! I knew the dobe wouldn't be able to get it done on his own."

Hinata gasped. _Naruto-kun..._ She thought worriedly. Was he alright? Did he get injured? She knew that, whatever Kurenai-sensei decided, she wouldn't be able to rest easily until she saw for herself what had happened to him.

Possibly the red-eyed Jonin knew this and, wanting to make sure that her student didn't run after her crush on her own, reluctantly said, "With your permission, Hokage-sama, I think our team would be capable of providing aid for Team 7."

The village leader raised a white eyebrow. He had seen the hesitation with which the woman had answered, but decided to trust her judgment. "Very well," he said evenly, "You are dismissed. Be ready to move out in two hours to catch up to their group."

"Hai!"

They left, the crow fluttering onto Hinata's shoulder as they did so. As the doors shut behind them, Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and looked up into the rafters of the ceiling. "I hope I have made the right decision in letting them go," He said, speaking to the four ANBU hidden up there. Being the professionals that they were, they did not give an answer.

"I would not worry, Hokage-sama. I am sure they will be fine," said a voice.

The ANBU instantly sprang into action, holding a kunai to the throat of the man who had suddenly appeared in the room. The man merely raised a hand and scratched his chin unconcernedly. "Ah. So that is why you require an appointment," He mumbled to himself. The tall, black-haired man tapped the toe of his silver boot on the ground, instantly bending space to appear outside the ring of bodyguards. "Is this a bad time?" He asked the aged leader, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he heard the quiet cursing of the ANBU behind him.

"No," The Sandaime said quickly, "While it's true that you should have made an appointment, I can tell that you are anxious to speak about something. That, and the more you talk, the more time I have until I have to get back to this paperwork. Who are you, by the way?"

The four masked ninjas sweat-dropped at the lengths to which their Hokage would go to avoid his work.

"Very well," the man nodded solemnly, "I am Vaga Farwalker, and I wish to speak to you about a matter concerning the upcoming Chunin Exams."

* * *

(Elsewhere a few hours later)

A few hours after leaving the tower, Team 8 had gone home, packed the supplies they would need for the mission, and had set out to catch up with Team 7.

As usual, Kiba's attempts to impress Hinata only resulted in the latter's annoyed silence. Then he changed tactics and tried to get a rise out of her by 'reminding' her that as the 'Alpha,' she was his by choice. Kurenai, who was listening to Kiba's diatribe, was just about ready to give the boy a good kick. All of the boy's sexist comments made want her to stick him in the Narakumi Jutsu until he begged for mercy.

Shino was also becoming fed up with the Inuzuka. The young Aburame, while being the calmest member of the group, was quickly losing his cool due to being in the middle; on one side, there was Kiba's offensive yammering, on the other was the scorching killing intent coming from both Hinata and, surprisingly, the crow perched on her shoulder. Shino had long since deduced that the bird was somehow related to the cat that they had seen the previous day; their eyes and coloring were identical.

A few more hours later, the sun was starting to set when the crow suddenly perked up, cocking its head as if listening for something. Then it took off, heading for the trees by the side of the road. "We must be getting close," Kurenai told her three charges, "Come on!" They ran after the retreating bird.

They entered a clearing a little ways into the forest, whereupon the immediately spotted the members of Team 7, who seemed to have set up camp. Sasuke sat brooding on a log, with Sakura sitting next to and gazing adoringly at him. On a different log sat Naruto, his nose in a small orange book, one hand scratching absently at the chin of Mido, who had landed on his shoulder. Kakashi sat with Tazuna, but noticed when Team 8 entered. "Yo," he said lazily, raising his hand in greeting, "I take that you guys are the ones that Hokage-sama sent as backup."

Kurenai nodded, looking at Kakashi. "He mentioned that your mission has been upgraded and that you ran into the Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu."

"Hai. We managed to defeat them and took their heads. However, it wasn't a chance encounter; they were specifically targeting Tazuna-san." And so he explained the situation about Wave Country. Once he had finished, Kurenai had a look of shock on her face.

"And you thought it was a good idea to continue?" She asked incredulously, "Naruto-san is right, there could be even stronger ninja lying in wait for us! How can you lead your team on, not knowing what's laying ahead?"

"That's why I asked for your team as backup," The silver-haired Jonin replied easily, unruffled, "To give us strength in numbers. Besides, we're ninja; we're supposed to overcome such things as the unknown. After all, the four of us survived when faced with the Demon Brothers, so having eight people-"

"Arf!"  
"Caw!"

"-Excuse me, eight people, a dog, and a crow/cat/snake- will be more than enough to make it through this."

"You tell them, sensei," Naruto said in a lackluster tone of voice, not looking up from his stolen copy of Icha-Icha. A red-faced Hinata nodded in agreement, though her eyes were also glued to the orange book, which she was reading over Naruto's shoulder.

Kakashi's eye twitched. "You know, your support would be a lot more convincing if you two would stop reading my book and give it back!"

"Not happening. I want to finish it first." Surprisingly it was Hinata who said this. Everyone, even Naruto, looked at her in astonishment at the suddenly bold statement.

Kina giggled inside Naruto's head. _Ooh, looks like Hinata's as much of a perv as you are._

The heterochromic blond rolled his eyes and went back to reading, deliberately not answering his female inhabitant.

* * *

After that, the two teams realized that night had fallen and started setting up tents, which Naruto had procured from the depths of one of his storage scrolls, and erected using Kage Bunshin. When that was done, they used the last of the light from the setting sun to have some of the rations that they had brought with them, before Sasuke finally used a minor Katon jutsu to start a small fire. Once they had somewhat satisfied their appetites, the large group drifted towards the tents with the vague idea of turning in early so they could get an early start towards Wave Country. Only Naruto stayed at the fire; he had volunteered to keep watch for enemies.

The orange jacket-wearing Genin stared at the dying fire, not even bothering to keep it going. He had the feeling that his Blacklight powers included night vision (which was confirmed by Alex when he asked), so he felt no need to provide potential enemies with illumination with which to see the camp.

_You know, you could use Mido to help you keep a lookout,_ Alex told him.

_How? Even in his crow form, the only way he can communicate what he sees is by transferring memories, and that could take too long._

_First, use that Teisatsu Mure technique to give yourself more crows. Second, I'm going to teach you a new jutsu that I picked up in one of your alternate worlds. Here it goes._ Images of handseals began to appear in Naruto's mind's eye, along with the jutsu they formed. The description of the effects, while sounding promising, gave him a bad feeling.

_This is gonna give me a headache, I'm sure of it. But, if it'll make this job easier..._ Naruto thought dubiously. He quickly performed the handseals for the first one, **"Teisatsu Mure no Jutsu!"** Even as the biomass crow on his shoulder multiplied into a thousand more to fill the surrounding trees, he was already on the next one. _Here goes,_ **"Ninpou: Kariname no Jutsu!"** He cried.

It was terrifying; Naruto's point of view fractured into a thousand pieces. Suddenly, he could see the clearing from hundreds of different angles. He could see himself, the tents, and the surrounding forest all at once, in all directions. He was immediately overwhelmed and paralyzed.

The Kariname no Jutsu was a technique that, when engaged properly, allowed the user to link their sight with others. However, instead of merging his vision with one other person, as his alternate self had once done, Naruto had divided his sight with a thousand biomass crows. Worse, as a Blacklight, Naruto also had the ability to mentally reach out to his creations. With the jutsu active, not only was his point of view split, but his mind had also split to inhabit each crow. Naruto was still a relatively new Blacklight so, as hard as he tried, he simply could not deal with all the presences that his mind was currently attached to.

_Well, that's new_ Alex said irritably, _But...guess we live and learn._ Although he had not exercised the full extent of his power for many years, Alex was still a senior Blacklight. Reaching out a mental hand, he touched Naruto's mind and surged a command through the web of links that his student had inadvertently created with his scouts. _**Silence!**_ He roared,_** Your master has a task to perform, and he cannot do it if you all distract him! Quiet your thoughts and synchronize!**_

With that, Naruto found that he could think clearly again, and that his new vision was now more comprehensible. Still, his heart pounded at what had just happened. _What the hell, Alex,_ He yelled, _Why did you have me do that if you knew it would do that to my head?_

_I didn't,_ Alex replied shrugging, _That jutsu was only ever used on one person at a time. Besides, now that you've experienced it once, your brain will have adapted to the Kariname's use and you'll be ready to take control of your familiars yourself._

Naruto sighed, still a bit angry, but felt that arguing was pointless at this point. So, he turned his attention to the crows in the trees. _**Alright,**_ He commanded them, _**Turn to face outside the clearing and use your night vision to check for approaching enemies.**_

At once, the crows moved into position, simultaneously giving Naruto a three hundred-sixty degree view of the surrounding forest, since their eyes were now his, as well as a few that remained facing inwards.

"Naruto-kun?" He turned his main eyes to the source of the soft voice to see Hinata standing behind him, her hands clasped in front of her nervously.

"I thought you'd gone to bed, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, slightly surprised, "What are you doing here?"

The pale girl fidgeted, avoiding his eyes, though he could still see her, using one of the crows. "I, um, j-just wanted to keep you company for a while."

"Oh," Naruto said, more than a little taken aback by that, "Uh, sit down, then."

When she did, Naruto glanced at her through one of the crows. "You know," He said, a bit of a smile at the corner of his mouth, "When I said I'd see you again soon, yesterday, I didn't mean this soon. Sorry to drag you all the way out here with our problems."

"N-no, it's alright," She said quickly, blushing, "When I heard that you had encountered some n-nuke-nin, I had to see if you were alright."

As she admitted this, her face slowly became even redder, though it was hard to tell in the dark.

Alex glimpsed the change in color through Naruto's eyes and smirked to himself.

Naruto merely grinned. "Well, you don't have to worry now, Hinata-chan. I'm perfectly fine and the poison that they had was absorbed by the virus before it could even start to affect me. Although..." He used a few crows to look around and check that no one was near, "I did learn that Blacklights do have a weakness."

"What is it?"

Naruto explained the extreme nausea he had experienced when he had gotten close enough to smell Tazuna's sake. "Since I have Kina-chan inside me, I have a small immunity to the stuff. It still probably makes me sick, though, so I'll never be able to drink any."

"W-well, on the bright side, it's such an obscure weakness that no one will think of it unless you tell them, so they won't use it in battle against you," Hinata pointed out.

"That's true-" He stopped. Somewhere to the north-west of the clearing, his crow-eyes had spotted something. He immediately focused in that direction, but even with his/their night vision, it was difficult to make it out.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"...I don't know. I think I just saw something out there, but my crows can't see anything."

"I'll t-take a look with my Byakugan," she said quickly, making the handseals to activate her dojutsu. Once it had, she extended her vision in the direction that Naruto had pointed. "There's nothing there..." she began. Then she shook her head, "No, wait, I can see a chakra signature over there," She waved her arm to indicate the direction, "It's covered in a Genjutsu, which is probably why your crows didn't notice it."

"Hey, I did see it at first," Naruto said defensively.

Hinata extended the range of her vision again, trying to see through the illusion hiding the unknown person. It took a surprising amount of effort, whoever had cast the Genjutsu must have been a very accomplished illusionist; the cocoon of chakra that she saw resisted her all-seeing eyes, refusing to let her see past its glowing surface. Then, with an insistent push, Hinata's Byakugan broke through the Genjutsu. What she saw made her gasp a little and let her dojutsu fade away.

"Hey," Naruto said suddenly, "I can see someone now. They must have let the Genjutsu drop or something."

_So I didn't break through it,_ Hinata thought with a small amount of fear, _that man wanted me to see him._ "N-Naruto-kun," She said nervously, "I d-don't think that person is human, whoever he is."

"What do you mean," Naruto asked, frowning, "I can see him, he looks human enough, even with his head all wrapped up like that-"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata interrupted, "I l-looked at his c-chakra coils. N-not only was the shape of them t-totally different f-from any human chakra structure, but the chakra itself is of a d-different consistency!"

_It might be another Jinchuuriki,_ Alex said, thinking furiously, _the youki in their bodies shows up different from normal._

When Naruto relayed this to Hinata, she shook her head quickly. "I've seen the y-youki in your b-body before. This is d-different from that."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she means that my chakra looks more like elemental chakra than anything else," Said a thoughtful voice, "Oh wait, she doesn't know what that looks like, does she?"

Both Genin whirled around to see a figure garbed in pale teal and gray clothes standing before them. A green scarf was wrapped around the man's entire head, with a few blond hairs poking out here and there. "Who are you, how did you get in here without being seen, and what do you want?" Naruto asked rapidly, moving to stand in front of Hinata.

The man crossed his arms and cocked his head as an indication of thought. "I am Ga the assassin, I got in here using a Genjutsu, and as for what I want..." He shrugged, "I haven't thought that far."

Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but sweat-drop at the ease with which he answered their questions.

"Although," Ga leaned forward, the last embers of the fire causing shadows to flicker over his scarf, making it suddenly ominous as a minute amount of Killing Intent began to blow off of him, "I don't think I can let you tell the others that you saw me. This all needs to be secret-like, so I'm gonna need you to go to sleep for a bit so I can wipe your memories and be on my way."

The Mido clones all leaped off the tree branches at the assassin, transforming into a volley of black arrows mid-flight. Not surprised for even a moment, Ga flicked open his metal fans and made a grand swirling motion with his arms. At once, a small whirlwind sprang up around him, the dense wall of air deflecting the arrows and causing all but one of them to dispel.

Before Naruto and Hinata could do more than jump back in astonishment, Ga had darted forward, his hands outstretched. Naruto, whose Adrenaline State had already kicked in, used a burst of chakra to leap back out of reach. Before he could shout for help, however, all the air was sucked from his lungs without warning, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees, trying desperately to breathe. Meanwhile, Hinata had also managed to narrowly avoid his hand, but the tips of his fingers brushed her face. As they did so, a feeling of lethargy and drowsiness overtook her. "N-Naruto...kun..." She said thickly, seeing her crush kneeling on the ground. She tried to move, but in her suddenly tired state she tripped and toppled over with a loud crunch of broken branches and crushed leaves.

"Quiet," Hissed Ga. He made a quick gesture towards the tents at the side of the clearing and muttered, **"Mahiki,"** where a ripple of green, translucent light passed over the air. "No need for interference. What was I doing?... Oh, right, sleeping Genin." He reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a small pill, which he somehow slipped under his scarf and into his mouth, where he quickly bit down. Then he raised his hands, palm outwards, and pointed each at one of the two would-be sentries. **"Sleep,"** He commanded. A pulse of purple-gray chakra shot from his hands, striking the Hyuuga girl and the Jinchuuriki. Hinata, who was already on the ground, immediately stilled, unconscious. Naruto swayed and fell to one hand, his mismatched eyes unfocused, but he refused to fall completely.

"Why...are you...doing this?" He slurred, glaring up at their attacker.

"Don't get me wrong," The assassin said, raising his hands defensively, "I'd rather just leave you all alone. But, well, I've got this voice in my head. It tells me to do stuff, and I don't really have any choice but to obey." He scratched at the scarf on his head, dislodging one of the folds wrapped around it. As it fell away, Naruto saw, for only a moment, a metal plate bolted to the scarf. Carved into the plate was the image of an infinity sign with a slash through it. "Nothing personal," he heard as darkness enfolded him, "But it told me to attack you."

* * *

As the young Uzumaki finally succumbed to the power of the sleeping spell he had cast, Ga's lean body relaxed slightly. "Phew," He sighed, leaning against a tree, "That did _not_ feel good. I hate attacking kids like that."

_It was necessary, Nord Baro,_ a faint, gusty voice whispered to him, causing him to twitch involuntarily. _You may make it up to them, if you wish._

"Oh, _may_ I?" The alter ego of Nord muttered darkly to himself, "Thank you for the permission. Not." He paused and tilted his head, his hair strands reading the air to make sure that the illusion over the tents, and the Jonin within them, was still in effect. It was, so he stalked quickly over to the sleeping form of the young blue-haired girl. With a small swirling motion of his finger, wind spiraled around Hinata's body, lifting her up. He gently wafted her over to the sleeping blond boy and, a little unceremoniously, dropped her right next to him. He snorted with a small amount of amusement as she almost immediately put her arms around Naruto's neck and snuggled up against his chest. _There. My good/mischievous deed for the evening. Next, to make sure they don't tell anyone. This is gonna be a bit tricky._ He bent down over the sleeping ninjas and placed a couple of fingers on their foreheads, engaging a jutsu that would alter their memories. With luck, when they woke up they would think that the whole encounter was a dream, and thus wouldn't even bother telling anyone. Unfortunately, mental techniques weren't really his forte, so this took a bit of effort. In the end, though, he managed it and straightened up. He removed the Genjutsu over the tents and called on the power of the Kanohi Kadin, shooting into the air and vanishing from view.

* * *

Inside Naruto's mindscape, Alex was wearing a hole in the floor, pacing back and forth and muttering to himself.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked angrily. After that 'Ga' person had cast that weird jutsu, he had become locked into his mindscape, with no way to get out. "That headband...that masked weirdo had the same symbol as you do, Alex!"

"I know that," Alex replied agitatedly, "I saw it too. Whoever he is, he bears the Negative Infinity; he's gotta be a Gorem. Thing is, I don't know who he is."

"What do you mean, aren't you a member, too?" Kina asked.

"I haven't been back to the Scattered Foundation for thousands of years," He snapped, still pacing, "There's probably dozens of members I know nothing about. But I can tell that he's probably a wind elemental of sorts."

"Really? How do you figure that one?" Naruto asked skeptically.

Alex held up a finger patiently and said, "When you made those crows attack him, he used a wind technique to deflect them. It's pretty simple, if a Gorem uses wind to defend himself that quickly, it's probably his primary element. Also, the fact that he was able to pull the air out of your lungs shows that he's very good at his manipulation."

"What about that sleeping thing? That definitely wasn't wind," Kina added, frowning.

"No," He agreed, "That _was_ pretty odd."

"For a moment, I thought I saw him take some sort of pill," Naruto said helpfully.

"Hmm...As far as I know, this world doesn't contain any such pills. Normal soldier pills just give you a boost of chakra and restore some stamina; if what you saw was important, it would have to be a kind of pill that bestows a specific power, and only the Gormim could have cooked up something like that." Alex sighed, putting his head in his hands. "God, I've been out of touch for a long time."

* * *

(Meanwhile, at Konoha)

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, his gaze boring into Vaga, who did not look bothered by the intensity of the stare. The enigmatic, slow-speaking man had spent several hours telling him about a new ninja village (which he already knew something about) that had cropped up and wished to enter this year's exams, which were to take place in Konoha. Apparently, this 'Vaga Farwalker' had been sent to inform him of this. "So, you are the ambassador for this 'Ma-Nigakure,' are you?"

"Indeed."

"Why do you not wear a headband?"

"Because I am not a ninja of the village. I am just... a medici-" Vaga smacked himself on the forehead, "I mean, a messenger. I am just a messenger, Hokage-sama."

"I see," the Hokage said, sweat-dropping at the sudden slip-up, "How are we going to recognize the team once it gets here? What's your village's symbol?"

"It looks like this." Vaga raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, the back facing Sarutobi. An image materialized there, an infinity sign made long, interlocking runes and a thin black line intersecting horizontally with it. "You might wish to inform whoever guards the front gates not to attack a group of ninja if they bear this symbol; the line does not mean that they are nuke-nin. It is merely a part of the symbol."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he stared at the infinity. "Yes...that _would_ be a problem," He agreed, "It's odd, though. I could have sworn that I've seen that symbol before, or at least something similar."

Vaga's eyes widened marginally, which the aged leader immediately noticed. "Perhaps," the messenger said slowly, "It was before we declared ourselves a village. Ma-Nigakure only came out into the open recently, once Ga began to make himself known."

"Yes, I have heard of his reputation, bringing down high-Chunin to mid-Jonin nuke-nin, though I have a little trouble believing such rumors."

"But they are correct, Hokage-sama. I should know, I helped spread those rumors myself."

The Sandaime jerked back in his seat, mildly surprised. "You gave information about one of your members' abilities?"

Vaga shook his head. "No, I did not, I only hinted at his skill level. It helps us attract customers for missions."

"I see." For a while, neither of them said anything, staring evenly at each other. Then, finally, Sarutobi said, "You have given me much to think about, Vaga-san. When you return to your village, tell your leader that I will gladly accept any team from his village." Taking this as a dismissal, the tall man bowed formally and turned to go. "Vaga-san," He turned back.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Out of curiosity, why did you come all the way to this village just to deliver a message that could have been delivered by hawk?"

Vaga smiled. "It is my preference, Hokage-sama."

"Preference?"

"Yes." He raised his fist again, the Negative Infinity showing vividly on the back of his hand. "I am a Farwalker. It is my job to travel great distances and deliver messages in person. And this message has been delivered. Good day, Hokage-sama." He tapped the floor with his boot and vanished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back, lighting his pipe and taking a few puffs. "'Not a ninja' my ass," He muttered, "A normal person would have used the door. Then again, he didn't seem entirely normal, himself." He glanced down at the brass dart that the self-proclaimed ambassador had placed on his desk earlier.

_"If you ever need to send a message to our village, use this,"_ Vaga had said, _"it will find us."_

"Ma-Nigakure no Sato," Sarutobi said to himself, "Why do I get the feeling a whole lot of headaches are coming my way?"

Half a dimension away, Storia Spellwright laughed to himself. While he was slightly peeved at Vaga for negotiating without his consent, he had to admit that the meddlesome Farwalker had his uses at this point. "Still," he said to a nearby gargoyle, "He might want to be careful about showing our mark to people...Somebody might just recognize it."

* * *

AN: Well, here you go. Chapter 13, up and running. First up, you know how I said I was going to start the first chapter of my Perfection fic? Well, I _did_ start writing, but I won't really be able to concentrate on it until I finish Wave Arc at least. Until then, I'll be focusing on this story. Oh yeah, The Kariname Jutsu that I used was **not** invented by me. It is a creation by the Author Xavon Wrentaile; his story is the one Alex was talking about.

Summary:

1. Tazuna gets introduced and insults Sakura.  
2. Hinata manages to work up the courage to kiss Naruto. Being the idiot that he still is, partially, he is _still_ pretty much oblivious. Moron.  
3. Naruto's weakness to alcohol; come on guys, think about it! Normally you put alcohol on a wound to kill any germs, this is like that on a much bigger scale.  
4. The fight with the demon brothers. I can't help but feel that it was a bit short. Ah well.  
5. I've read a bunch of stories where Naruto's team gets sent as backup for the wave mission, but I've never seen one where another team gets sent to help Naruto's team, have you?  
6. Vaga makes a reappearance. He basically wants to tell Sarutobi that Ma-Nigakure, which is a pretty new village like Oto, will be sending a team to participate in the Chunin Exams.  
7. Alex teaches Naruto the Kariname, which he learned from Xavon Wrentaile's story-world. The idea of Naruto using it on a multitude of crows was my idea.  
8. Okay, basically, Naruto is able to detect, locate, and enter the mind of any Blacklight or biomass creation. Using the Kariname, while possessing that ability, caused him to enter the minds of all of his crows and experience their thoughts all at the same time. Since he had never experienced that before, of course he was overwhelmed, even if for a moment.  
9. One of Nord's auxiliary abilities allows him to create illusions. The ones he makes are a bit different from normal Genjutsu in the Naruto-verse. That's why Hinata couldn't see through it until he dropped it.  
10. What Nord actually did to get into the clearing was this: first, he created an illusionary clone and covered it in a light-bending illusion. While Naruto and Hinata were busy with the clone, Nord covered himself in another light-bending Genjutsu and entered through the side.  
11. The pill that Nord used to put Naruto and Hinata to sleep is a semi-invention of mine. It also steals from the Bionicle-verse, but it's not from the Kanohi masks.  
12. Nord didn't really want to attack the two of them, but the Voice ordered him to do it, so he literally had no other choice but to do so. Fortunately, it did not tell him to kill them, the privilege of dying by his hand will be reserved for someone else.  
13. Vaga had a momentary slip. He nearly said 'Medicine Seller,' which is from Mononoke. The reason is that what he meant to say sounded very similar to what the Medicine Seller often says to others, so Vaga nearly copied him.  
14. Hm...so Sarutobi has seen the Negative Infinity before, has he?

Well, I hope at least some of you liked this chapter. Until next time, everybody. Don't forget to review, but flames will not be tolerated.

In the meantime, a curse on this site! It refuses to put the bold with the underlined lines! Any suggestions for how to fix that would be appreciated.

North South out.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Alright fellow readers, here is the next part of Wave Arc. Enjoy.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. The only thing that _is _mine is the plot and the Gormim.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being_**  
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 14: The morning after, the Black Plague of Konoha, The Moth, and the Demon of the Hidden Mist

The next morning, the first thing Naruto noticed before opening his eyes was that he was lying on the dirt floor of the clearing. The second thing he noticed was the warm, soft body pressed into his side. _Wait, what?_ He opened his eyes and looked down to see the head of Hinata Hyuuga as she snuggled up against him. _That scarf guy had something to do with this, I can just tell,_ Naruto thought, watching her face, _Though, for the life of me, I can't think why._ In the quiet of the morning, he couldn't help but notice the calm, serene expression that she wore as she slept. _She really is a beautiful girl..._ He put his arms around her and held her closer, laying his cheek on top of her head and closing his eyes again. In spite of the slight awkwardness of the situation, there was something about her presence that he found to be greatly comforting, somehow.

A while later, he felt her stirring in his arms. He loosened his grip and leaned back to get a good look at her. Her pale eyes opened sleepily and she looked back him uncomprehendingly. "Uh, morning," He said a little nervously. She merely smiled back at him. Then the rest of her brain booted up and she realized the position she was in. _That _can't_ be healthy this early in the morning,_ he thought, watching her face go crimson in less than a second.

Hinata's thoughts were going pretty much like this: _OMGOMGOMG, I was sleeping with Naruto-kun! It's too soon for that, how did it happen? Did we...did he...?_ Her eyes glazed over slightly and a small amount of blood trickled from her nose.

_Methinks that she thinks you took advantage of her last night,_ Alex snickered, _That Ga man probably tampered with her memories so she wouldn't remember what happened. It doesn't seem to have worked on you, though._

"How can you tell that he did?" Kina whispered to Alex.

"It's complicated," Alex replied, "But this man claims to be an assassin. He showed up, attacked those two, but didn't kill them. Even so, he probably wanted to make sure they wouldn't tell anyone else. How? By wiping their memories."

_I'm not really surprised,_ Naruto thought, _it does kinda make sense._ By this time, he had sat up, still looking at Hinata, whose nose was still bleeding. He sweatdropped and snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Oi, Hinata-chan, mind outta the gutter."

The blue-haired girl jerked, quickly wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Ah, s-sorry, Naruto-kun." She refocused on his face. "Ano, what h-happened last night? I remember that we were t-talking about something about Blacklights and alcohol, b-but after that, everything just...blurs."

Naruto explained how Ga had shown up the previous evening. Although it pained him slightly to admit it, the blonde Jinchuuriki had to admit that the strange man had soundly beaten them that time. "When you first saw him with your Byakugan, you said that his chakra and pathways looked different. Then, when he showed himself, he admitted that his own chakra is elemental," Naruto mumbled, pacing back and forth as he recalled the details, "According to Alex, after he knocked us out somehow, he did something to try and make us forget about him. It only worked on you though; I can still remember him."

Hinata absorbed all this information quietly. "I've never heard of a person with elemental chakra already in their system before..." She mused, "but I think it would be b-better if we didn't tell the others about it. I m-mean," She said quickly, noticing Naruto's frown, "If we _do_ tell them, it might lead to awkward questions about-"

"About what, Hinata-san?" Asked Kakashi as he walked over. Both Genin looked up in alarm to see that the other members of the teams had emerged from their tents. Fortunately, Kiba was still half-asleep and stumbling around looking for Akamaru, so they wouldn't have to deal him at the moment. Kakashi, on the other hand, would have to be purposefully diverted.

"Ah, it's nothing, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said casually stepping in front of the Hyuuga girl, "I was just telling Hinata-chan about this weird dream I had last night. It's not something I want people asking about." Of course, this was not strictly true, he had not had many dreams as of late. However, he had to make sure that no questions leading to Alex's existence would be asked.

The Jonin merely looked at him for a moment before shrugging and turning away, evidently convinced by his blond student's shoddy answer.

Once all members of the group were ready, they packed up the tents and left the clearing, exiting the forest and quickly finding the road again. As they walked, Kakashi and Kurenai took the lead with Tazuna keeping close behind them. Most of the Genin ended up sticking into pairs, Sakura latching onto Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata falling into step beside each other, and Akamaru panting on top of Kiba's head. Shino had offered to carry Mido in his cat form, and although he showed no outward emotion (as usual), Naruto could tell that the young Aburame actually enjoyed the black feline's presence.

_That's kinda weird. I would've thought that all the bugs in his body would react to him having a cat,_ Kina said, watching Shino out of the corner of Naruto's eye.

_Well, everyone has their own eccentricities,_ Naruto replied, shrugging, _Either way, less carrying of heavy cat for me._ Unfortunately, to his mind, that was probably the only good thing about that walk. Kiba was making sure to stay close to them, especially Hinata. Naruto could practically feel that overbearing bastard breathing down their necks. It was maddening; Alex had to keep reminding him that killing one's fellow shinobi and eating him was frowned upon by most villages. _One day, mutt boy, one day,_ Naruto promised himself darkly, _one day you'll take one step too far...and I'll be waiting..."_

_I'd be careful, if I were you,_ Alex interjected, _I don't know if she's changed over the years or what, but Kurenai would probably kick your ass if you killed her student. Maybe it comes from being taught by me._

Naruto's eyes bugged out. _Hang on, you were once a sensei? And Kurenai-sensei was your student?_

_No, Naruto, I just said that to dissuade you from killing Kiba,_ the Blacklight said sarcastically, _Of course I once had students in this world! Haven't you already worked out that I'd been around here before you were born, Naruto?_

_So, you admit it, then?_ Naruto asked eagerly, _You never actually said anything about your life before being sealed._

While they talked, the two teams plus Tazuna had come to a small bay, at which were two boats to take them across the water to Wave Country. They clambered aboard, Hinata opting to stick close to Naruto, who seemed to be lost in thought.

_Well, you never really asked, did you?_ Alex said rhetorically, _But if you want the story, you'll have to come in here._

In his seat, Naruto closed his eyes and slumped slightly, leaning on Hinata's shoulder by accident. She gave a tiny squeak of surprise and embarrassment.

Inside his mind, Naruto sat in one of the wooden chairs in the seal chamber while Alex said, "I can't give you the full story right now; we're a little pressed for time. So, I'll just be giving you the basic rundown of what happened..." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, organizing his thoughts. "When I first arrived in this world, it was towards the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Fortunately, there was no one around to see me when I got there. Soon after, I was visited by the Voice again, and it told me to do something. Something I had never done before. I transformed myself into an infant and sealed away my own memories, along with my powers. Also, because the Voice was quite insistent on this, it made me seal away my ability to use chakra. Soon after, I was found by Konoha ninja and taken in by the village as an orphan. I grew up there, not knowing who I really was, believing that I really was a child. Though, for some reason, everyone still called me Alex. I must have left a note on myself, or something. Either way, when I was of age, I went to the Ninja Academy to become a ninja." Here, the hooded man paused, wondering whether to tell his jailor who he had met there. _Nah, no time._ "Soon after I got there, I discovered that I couldn't mold chakra, like your friend Lee. The teachers told me I could drop out if I wanted, but I stayed. 'If I can't use jutsu, I'll just have to be a ninja without them,' I said to them." He then smirked, holding up his arm and flexing the muscles there. "What I didn't remember was, even without my other powers, I still retained my Blacklight attributes. Even without chakra, I was stronger, faster, more agile, durable, and even smarter than the average academy student. Heh, I was always the one the other kids would dread having to face in the Taijutsu matches." He closed his eyes and smiled contentedly, fondly remembering the good old days.

"So, you had strength, then what?" Asked Kina.

"Well, I became a Genin, became a Chunin," Alex said ticking them off on his fingers with relish before frowning thoughtfully, "That was pretty interesting, actually; when I first got promoted, Sarutobi took me aside and told me that my 'condition' with my chakra was more than I had first thought it was. My body lacked a chakra system altogether." He noticed Naruto's look of shock. "Hey, they don't even know what chakra _is_ in the land over the seas, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Everybody, including myself, just assumed I came from one of those other countries. Anyway, a few years later, after some events that I'm still a little fuzzy on the details, but the Third Shinobi World War broke out, so I had to fight." He paused, frowning at Naruto. "I just gotta say: you people get into World Wars a _lot_, I mean my home only had _two_ World Wars before I fucked it up."

"Just get on with the damn story," Naruto snapped, sweatdropping.

"Right, right. So, during that war, I managed to regain a couple of my viral techniques, like the ability to fatally infect my enemies. Because of my apparent ability to kill tons of people just by being on the battlefield, I was ranked by Iwa to be on the same level as 'Kiiroi Senkou' (Yellow Flash) Minato Namikaze and 'Akai Chishio no Habanero' (Red Hot-Blooded Habanero) Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean..?"

"Yep!" Alex grinned happily, "Your parents were 'flee-on-sight,' S-ranked ninja on the battlefield. In fact, that war was what gave them those names, like how your sensei was called 'Sharingan no Kakashi,' because of the Sharingan in his left eye."

"If you were on par with the Fourth Hokage and my previous jailor," Kina interrupted, "Didn't they give you a special name too?"

Alex looked shocked. "Of course they did! Didn't they ever mention me at the academy? They called me the 'Kokushiby ou' (Black Plague) of Konoha, for Log's sake!"

Frowning, Naruto thought back to the history lessons about the war. "...I think they _might_ have mentioned you once," He said slowly, "But it was only in passing. The only person they ever went into detail about was Yon- I mean, my dad."

"Seriously?" Groaned Alex, "That has 'council' written all over it. Nearly all the civilian council members were always afraid of my strength, so they probably tried to make the next generation forget about me after I got sealed." He sighed. "Anyway, once the war was over, I got promoted to Jonin for doing such a good job. And, since being a Jonin means having to teach, I was given a team of Genin to train; Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Maito Gai." A look of grief flickered across his face. "I only had a few years with them, but I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the rest of my life in this world. I even fell in love, you know, but...she died." He bowed his head, the shadows of his hood obscuring his face. "A few years later, I heard that Kushina was pregnant with you. Since she was a Jinchuuriki, special arrangements had to be made for your birth, to make sure the Kyuubi didn't escape."

The fox-girl shifted uneasily, clearly remembering those 'measures.'

Alex continued as if he hadn't noticed. "Then, about ten months later, a couple days before you were due to be born, my memories came back to me. I'm not entirely sure why, but the Voice came back with it, and it told me to make myself scarce. So I did."

"What happened then?" Naruto asked apprehensively.

The older man inclined his head, and Naruto saw, for a moment, the tiredness of thirty-four thousand years in his eyes. Finally, Alex said, "October tenth happened. A...certain someone interfered..." He growled in frustration; even now, the Voice was actively preventing from just coming out and saying 'Madara did it!' "He extracted Kina from Kushina and caused her darker side- her Yin half -to attack the village. The rest is history." For a while after that, the inhabitants of Naruto's mindscape sat in silence, each of them remembering that night or, in Naruto's case, it's effects. With nothing left to say to that and not wanting to ask questions at that moment, Naruto's mental body began to dissolve. "One last thing!" Alex said suddenly, as everything began to blur out, "Rabbits are not white in summer!"

In the boat, Naruto's mismatched eyes snapped open, his head leaning against a blushing Hinata's shoulder. He straightened up and looked around, not even feeling stiff. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Shh," hissed the boatman, "We're in Wave territory, and I don't want to attract any of Gato's thugs, so keep it down."

Naruto made a rude hand gesture at the man which was hidden by the thick fog surrounding them. "I am _not_ that loud," He muttered to the blue-haired girl.

Hinata bit her lip and said nothing, trying to hold back the smile at her crush's antics. "What did Alex want to talk about?" She whispered softly.

He glanced at Kakashi, who was seated on the other side of the boat, before answering in a serious undertone, "I'll tell you later, it's a long story."

She nodded, and they lapsed into silence. Maybe it was because of the thickness of the fog, or maybe the fact that his body had just been sleeping, but either way, Naruto suddenly found his seat next to Hinata very cozy. He leaned against her again and closed his eyes, drifting off into actual sleep. Hinata sweatdropped.

Since he was asleep, Naruto was not able to see the great bridge when Tazuna pointed it out to the teams. He would have laughed when Kiba exclaimed at how huge it was, only for the boatman to hiss at him to shut up. When the boats finally reached the shore, Hinata gently nudged Naruto awake so he could climb out with the rest of them.

After another half-hour of walking, they saw a large lake up ahead, which Tazuna excitedly told them meant they were getting close to his home.

Kakashi and Kurenai once again took the lead. Due to their experience as Jonin, they showed no outward sign of it, but inside they were suspicious. They were in the home stretch, figuratively speaking, of their journey, but not even a single enemy had tried to intercept them apart from the Demon Brothers. Kakashi was certain that it would happen soon though, so he kept his eye peeled for the slightest sign of trouble. Couldn't be too careful, after all.

Suddenly, Naruto paused, looking around confusedly. "What is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. The others turned to look at him.

"I thought I heard something," he said slowly, "But I'm not sensing anything..." He frowned in concentration for a moment, then shrugged and kept walking, the other Genin doing the same. A moment later, however, he spun on his heel, his eyes flashing green. A sharp spike of biomass shot out of his sleeve, flying towards a tree by the side of the road. It rustled the bushes as it passed through them, and for a moment, Naruto thought he heard a tiny 'crack' of the spike hitting something that was not wood. A moment later, though, a large white rabbit bounded out of the bushes, its nose twitching agitatedly at them.

"High strung, dobe?" Kiba laughed, "What kind of ninja gets all worked up over a dumb bunny? What a loser." He stopped laughing when Hinata turned to glare at him.

Naruto, on the other hand, stared at the rabbit. Something was wrong here, he knew it, but what? Then his eyes widened as he remember Alex's mysterious words earlier. "Sensei?" he called, his voice rising apprehensively, "Aren't rabbits supposed to be _brown_ in the summer?"

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, wondering what on earth he was talking about. Then his own eye widened as he pieced it together. _"Get down!"_ he yelled.

Everybody, including Tazuna, hurled themselves to the ground. And not a moment too soon; there was a heavy 'WHOOSH,' and something large hurtled over their heads. Looking up, the assembled ninja saw a massive zanbatou spinning through the air. It slammed into the trunk of a tree and stuck there, quivering. There was a flicker of Shunshin and a tall, muscular man appeared atop the hilt of the sword with his back to them.

"Hmph. Looks like you're a lot sharper than I'd first thought," The man muttered, turning to them. He wore a pair of overalls, a pair of cow-patterned arm warmers, and bandages around his mouth, but no shirt. He wore a hitai-ate depicting four zigzag lines arrayed in a square, though they noticed a large gash drawn through the center, marking him as a nuke-nin. "Though I wouldn't have expected anything less of you, Sharingan no Kakashi." Most of the Genin looked at Kakashi in surprise at this.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kurenai murmured to the others, "A Jonin nuke-nin from Kirigakure. A former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Heh, I'm honored that you've heard of me," Zabuza snorted, "So here's a deal for you lot: you leave me the bridge builder and I might just let you eight go."

"Sorry, but we can't do that," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile, "You'll have to get to Tazuna-san through us, I'm afraid."

Zabuza's face became suddenly murderous. "...That's good. I was hoping you'd say that."

At that, Kakashi's own gaze became serious as his hand came up to his hitai-ate. "I see. I guess I'll just have to use this." He slid the headband up. Underneath, a scarred eyelid opened to reveal a red eye with three spinning tomoe circling the pupil.

_The Sharingan is the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan,_ Alex told Naruto, _It allows the user to track any motion and burn it into memory, as well as to see chakra being used externally. Both of these traits allow a user like Kakashi to copy any jutsu that he sees._

Sasuke stirred in surprise while Zabuza said, "Ah, the famous Sharingan already? I'm honored." He made a strange hand sign, one hand held high in the air. "I'll just have to make sure it can't see me, then. **Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu!" (Ninja art: Hidden in the Mist Jutsu)** Almost instantly a thick fog swirled up around them, hiding the assassin from view.

"Everyone, defensive positions!" Kurenai ordered.

In the thick mist, it was difficult to maneuver into place, but all of the Genin managed to surround Tazuna with their backs to him, facing in all directions to have a better chance in order to try and catch sight of the nuke-nin. Hinata tried to activate her Byakugan, but the mist was laced with so much chakra that she could barely make out her own comrades. All the while, Killing Intent rained down on them like a heavy weight. Kiba and Sasuke in particular were shaking from the intensity, Sasuke actually bringing a kunai up to his neck. He would rather end his own life right now than die at the hands of this madman...

"Sasuke!" He was jolted out of his suicidal train of thought by the voice of his sensei. He looked up to see Kakashi eye-smiling down at him. "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I won't let anyone on my team die."

"A nice promise," droned Zabuza's voice out of nowhere, "Unfortunately-" Suddenly, everyone was aware that he was standing in the center of their ring, his great sword poised to cleave through Kakashi, "-It seems you won't be keeping it." With that, the huge blade sank into the wide-eyed Jonin's shoulder and down through the rest of his body.

Kurenai stared in horror as, almost in slow motion, Kakashi split in half before suddenly dissolving in a splash of water. "What?" She gasped.

_He copied my Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone)!_ The hired nuke-nin thought, _That little speech he gave must have been a ruse to catch sight of me using it._ Before the would-be killer could think or do anything else, he found himself being swarmed by bugs which, he noticed with dread, were rapidly draining out his chakra. He tried to dodge out of the way, but almost immediately an orange blur latched onto him, a pair of impossibly strong hands closed around his neck. Through the haze of bugs in his face, Zabuza could just make out the blond boy who had thrown the kunai at Haku. Naruto's teeth were bared in a grimace of savagery (Zabuza briefly noted that the boy's teeth were rather similar to his own) and his eyes glowed an angry green with a crossed pupil. Zabuza choked at the amount of pressure Naruto was exerting on his throat, as well as the KI the boy was throwing off. He struggled desperately, trying to swing his sword, but a few sharp jabs to his arm from behind caused him to drop it from numb fingers. There was an ominous growl and with a quick jerk, Naruto snapped the larger man's neck. There was a moment of brutal satisfaction for Naruto before the body in front of him exploded into water. Spluttering, he staggered back wiping at his eyes, only to come into contact with a tall, heavily muscled body. Even temporarily blinded, the young Blacklight knew that it was another Zabuza.

"Not bad, kid," he heard the Kiri ninja say, "You might have become a strong ninja if you hadn't come here."

Naruto opened his mouth to make some smart remark, but he heard two separate voices from in front of him, one on the left and one on the right. **"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"** He could clearly make out two orange blurs heading towards him and Zabuza. Instinctively he blasted chakra out of his back and shot forward into the air. As he flew he twisted upside down and swung his arms, firing biomass spikes from his sleeves in Zabuza's general direction. However, in his haste, he also forgot about landing on his feet afterwards.

He hit the ground on his back with a thud, dazed for a moment as he checked to see if everything worked. On the bright side, his eyes were clear again.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called from Tazuna's side, "Are you alright?"

Naruto shot her a thumbs up before rolling over and getting to his feet. He noticed with some satisfaction that the mist had thinned slightly. He saw a large scorch mark on the ground a few yards away. _Good thing I dodged those fireballs,_ He thought with a slight sweat-drop, _since the Kirigakure is still in effect, that eyebrow-less bastard is probably still alive._

A loud clash to his right made him look over. It seemed that Kakashi had been taken by surprise and kicked into the lake. Even as Kurenai, Shino and Kiba ran to help him, Zabuza appeared, standing on top of the water with his hand outstretched toward Kakashi. **"Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu)** The water beneath the Sharingan user rippled and surged, rising up to encase him in a sphere of liquid. Kakashi struggled, but the chakra-infused water was as strong as steel and wouldn't give an inch. "It's over for you, Sharingan no Kakashi," Zabuza said, smirking under his bandages. He made a couple of one-handed handseals. **"Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Clone)** The water in front of him rose up and took on a human shape, before the excess fell away to reveal a replica of the nuke-nin.

"Run for it, all of you!" Kakashi shouted at them from his prison. "It's too late for me. His clone won't be able to get far from his real body and he has to keep this prison together himself, you can still get Tazuna-san away from here; he takes priority over everything else."

"B-but sensei! You'll die!" Cried Sakura, though she didn't move from her position next to the old bridge builder.

"She's got you pegged, Kakashi," Snorted Zabuza, "But I'm afraid that none of you will be running away."

"Whadya mean?" Kiba demanded, Akamaru whimpering from his place in his jacket.

The Mizu Bunshin laughed, a long, slow, evil laugh that sent a chill up everyone's spines. He lifted his huge sword from his back and pointed it one-handed at them. "Do you really think that that slime ball Gato would have only hired little old me to get the job done? Oi, partner, get your skinny ass out here! You've been letting me do all the work."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Said a bored voice. At the sound of it, Naruto whirled around in recognition. Standing in the middle of the road, blocking their way back, was Ga, the ends of his scarf flapping. "Don't you think I deserve an introduction, Zabuza-san?" The thin man asked the Kiri-nin sullenly.

"Why should I? You didn't bother to help me with that orange brat. For that, _you_ can deal with him."

"Oh, thank you, master," Ga said sarcastically, snapping his fans open, "Anything _else_ I can do?" Not waiting for an answer, he swiped a fan at Naruto. **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"** A wave of air, smaller than it normally should be, blasted out from the fan. It streaked past the stunned Genin, just barely missed Kurenai, and hit Naruto, who had been hunched over in anticipation of a fight. The wind slammed into him, breaking his stance and leaving vulnerable for a moment. That moment was enough; with a flourish, Ga made an underhand sweep with his other fan. **"Fuuton: Renkudan!" (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)** He yelled.

"Naruto!" shouted Hinata in warning. A large bullet of wind shot upwards before curving down and streaking straight at Naruto. The jutsu struck him head on, knocking him off his feet.

Ga quickly ducked down and made another swipe. **"Renkudan!"** The second bullet flew low over the ground. As Naruto fell, the solid mass of air struck his temple just before the fall was completed. He did not get up. Before the others could react, Ga rushed forward so that they were all surrounding him. He whirled, streams of wind following the wake of his fans. **"Renkudan!"** He yelled again. This time, several bullets shot out in all directions, curving to hit all of his targets. Sasuke and Sakura were knocked out almost instantly, but the members of members of Team 8 managed to block the attacks.

Hinata was the most ready of the four of them. Taking a leaf from Naruto's book, she sent a quick burst of chakra out behind her to halt her backwards movement. Then she fired another burst to propel her forward, her arms raised to strike with Jyuuken. Caught off guard, Ga stumbled momentarily as Hinata closed the distance. She lashed out, her arms making sweeps to try and cut through multiple chakra pathways within the assassin. However, the wind-user had already regained his bearings and was dodging her swipes easily. After about a minute of evasion, Ga suddenly crouched, setting one foot slightly forward and gripping his left fist with his other hand. His elbow was driven straight into her diaphragm and she choked, her eyes widening as all wind was driven out of her lungs.

Ga spun away from Hinata as she fell to the ground unconscious, already anticipating the next attacker. He was not disappointed when Shino waved a large cloud of Kikaichu towards him. _Hmph, bugs? Against a wind user? Please!_ He thought. Even under those thoughts, though, was another set of musings. _Since they're chakra eating bugs, however, a jutsu might not be such a good idea..._ As the haze of insects approached, Ga held up an imperious hand and said, **"Zatth!"**

There was a large plume of smoke which the Kikai, unaware of their fate, flew straight into. Shino didn't know why, but a sense of fear flitted through him as his mental connection to his bugs began to diminish. Normally, within a certain range, he was able to discern the whereabouts of his Kikai, and he was definitely losing contact with the swarm at the moment. His confusion was quickly lifted as the cloud cleared away, revealing a group of enormous Venus Flytraps, which were snapping at the cloud of Kikai with a fierce hunger. In less than a minute, the entire cloud had been devoured. The Aburame gulped; he knew instantly that there was no way that any more of his bugs would want to go near the mysterious man now. He looked at his sensei, communicating to her that he was effectively out of the fight. _It would be illogical to lose any more of the hive,_ He thought.

Now Ga turned his covered gaze on Kiba. "What's the matter, brat? Did you think you could get a shot at me once your teammates had softened me up?"

Kiba bristled, instantly furious. "Are you calling me a coward, teme?" He yelled.

Underneath his scarf, Ga eye-smiled. "Well, if you find it insulting to think so, yeah!"

"You bastard! Come over here and say that to my face!" The Inuzuka shouted irately.

There was a moment of stunned silence in which all present Jonin, plus Shino, stared incredulously at Kiba. Finally, with a small snort, Ga burst out into a cackle of laughter. "KAAHAHAHAHAHAAAH!" He howled, clutching at his sides, "That's gotta be the _stupidest_ thing I've ever heard someone say in a fight! And trust me, I've been in a lot of fights." Mid-laugh, however, he flickered out in a blur of speed, appearing right before Kiba and towering over him. With a loud *Crack!* he head butted him directly in the forehead. With a grunt of pain, Kiba staggered back with his eyes shut, his hands clasped to his head. Before he could do anything else, Ga appeared behind him in another flicker and chopped him in the back of the neck, knocking him out instantly. The assassin crossed his arms over his chest, 'staring' down at the fallen boy. Akamaru growled angrily at the man who had defeated his master, but was quickly silenced by a burst of KI. With a yelp, the puppy ran over to the body of Hinata and burrowed underneath her. "That's what I thought," Ga said with a satisfied nod.

"You..." Said a voice. Ga looked around to see Kurenai standing there, staring at him with something akin to horror at having taken out all of her students.

"You're new to this, aren't you?" He asked her, "A Jonin with more experience would just gone ahead and attacked me while your other students distracted me." Before he could complete his statement, Kurenai sprang at him, a kunai held at the ready. "Exactly," he murmured. He flicked open his fans and began trading slashes with the red-eyed Jonin with the bladed edges.

(Meanwhile, with Naruto)

Naruto groaned quietly as he opened an eye. "Ow, headache," He mumbled, putting a hand to the side of his head. He dragged himself over a tree and propped himself up in a sitting position, channeling chakra and biomass to his eyes to activate the Adrenaline State and dull the pain in his temple. _Who knew that wind could hit that hard?_

_I did._

_Shut up, that was rhetorical._ Now that the pounding pain in his head was gone, Naruto was able to look around and assess the situation. Currently, only Zabuza, Kakashi, Kurenai and Ga were awake, and they were too preoccupied with the fight to notice him. _Hm...I remember Kakashi-sensei saying that Zabuza couldn't move from the prison,_ he thought, eyeing the arm that the Kiri nuke-nin had stuck into the ball of water. He switched his gaze to the water clone, _that thing would be pretty easy to take out; just one bio-spike to the throat and SPLASH! But how can I throw one without alerting the real one and giving him time to block with that sword?_ A light-bulb went off in his head and he looked down at his right hand. _Hang on, I'm a Blacklight! I can probably turn my hand into something that'll let me throw spikes without actually throwing them, or something._ He channeled Biomass to his arm and concentrated on what he needed. _**Make it for me!**_ He commanded, focusing. For a moment, he felt his entire forearm cease to exist as it dissolved into swirling Biomass. Then the black stuff re-coalesced and he had feeling again, though it was distinctly different sensation. Where his hand had been was now a short, reddish-brown stump, about as thick as his wrist, poking out of his sleeve. In the center was a large hole which might have reached up to his elbow where, when he searched himself internally, he felt a large concentration of his chakra pathways. He held it up, subconsciously synchronizing its movements with the movements of his eye. He took aim at the Mizu Bunshin's throat and channeled biomass into the hollow of the stump, forming it into a spike before molding the chakra in his elbow and causing it to 'ignite.'

(Meanwhile, with Zabuza)

Zabuza Momochi was currently engrossed entirely with watching his fellow assassin fight. He had to admit, at first he had thought that Ga was just some chump with no skills that Gato had hired because of some reputation. Now, though... _Now I'm feeling woefully inadequate,_ He thought gloomily, watching as Ga flawlessly dispatched all of the Genin, starting with the one who had beaten his own clone bare-handed. Suddenly, there was a flicker of movement and his Mizu Bunshin stumbled and choked, a hand reaching desperately for its throat, where a short spike of...something was imbedded. However, it was too late and the doppelganger dissolved back into the water that had formed it. "What?" He looked around, wondering where the attack had come from. He quickly spotted that blond kid from before. Evidently he had woken up and was now trying to free his sensei. There was a tiny flash and another spike shot at him. "Shit!" It was too fast for him to simply catch. He'd have to let Kakashi go and avoid injury or take a serious blow and release him anyway; he made the obvious choice and leapt away, the spike shooting past where his hand had just been. He glared at the brat, he'd deal with Kakashi in a moment, but that kid had to die. While his enemy reeled from the sudden release from his prison, Zabuza charged at Naruto, lifting his Kubikiri Bocho (Decapitating Carving-Knife) from his shoulder with the intent to cleave. However, he did not account for the fact that Naruto was in his Adrenaline State.

This special ability of the Blacklights was a curious one. While it certainly gave the user a boost of sorts, it should not be confused with the Adrenaline Surge ability, which greatly increased strength and dulled pain. While the Adrenaline State also dulled pain, it did not boost physical strength. Rather, it quickened the perception and reaction time of the user, allowing them to block, parry, and dodge moves that normal humans would deem impossible. Also, unlike the Adrenaline Surge, one did not need to have one foot in the grave to activate it. Instead, the State engaged automatically at the first sign of danger to the user, like Naruto was now.

To the now-green-eyed blond, the man with the sword in front of him was swinging his sword in slow motion, leaving him ample time to sidestep; the enormous sword gouged the tree that had been behind him on its way down, sinking into the ground. "What the..?" Zabuza began.

"Oh, sorry," Naruto said innocently, "Was that supposed to hit me? It's just that, well, your attack was moving so slowly that it made me wonder how it was going to cut me."

Thoroughly unnerved, Zabuza leaped back onto the water. No one had ever managed to dodge Kubikiri Bocho like that before at that range! He quickly refocused in order to turn and block a slash from Kakashi, who had already reentered the fray. The silver-haired Jonin wielded his kunai expertly, darting back and forth to try and score a hit with the knife. Unfortunately, having such a large blade meant that the would-be assassin was safe from physical combat. _Meh, this is getting annoying. Time to end this!_ With a violent shove, Zabuza sent Kakashi flying back with the flat of his sword. Then he quickly secured the blade on his back and began scrolling through a long list of handseals. Kakashi saw this and, with his Sharingan, began to copy him seal for seal. _Damnit, he's doing it too! I need to complete the jutsu before he does!_ However, it was no use and the two Jonin completed their last seal, "Tori!" at the same time.

**"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)** Infused with their chakra, the water beneath them surged, streaming upwards into the shape of two identical, serpentine dragons. The liquid creatures coiled and undulated around each other, finally biting one another on the neck and exploding with great force.

Back on the ground, Ga was still engaging in close quarters combat with Kurenai. Both of their clothing was ripped slightly in places from near misses on the other's part. Kurenai had a few small scratches, but nothing seriously life threatening. Ga, on the other hand, was unharmed, and had finally decided to just channel wind chakra to the edges of his fans. This, he knew, would finish off the kunoichi before him. Suddenly, the sound of exploding water distracted him totally and he froze, instinctively turning his covered eyes in the direction of the explosion. Well, it wasn't precisely the sound that distracted him, but the rush of air that was given off by the Suiryuudans' collision; for a moment it disrupted his ability to sense normal disturbances in the air, blinding him.

In this moment, Kurenai struck. She plunged her kunai into the scarf-clad man's chest and ripped upwards, hoping to slice through a lung. Ga screamed and fell back, a hand clasped to his chest, a red stain growing on his scarf as he coughed up blood. However, before he hit the ground, Kurenai thought she heard him whisper something and in the next moment, Ga vanished, dissolving into what appeared to be green dust, clothes, fans, blood, and all, before finally scattering into the air. "If that was a clone," She muttered to herself, "I am going to be _so_ pissed!"

(Back with the Kakashi -Zabuza fight)

_Okay, now this is getting plain ridiculous!_ Zabuza thought, panicking. First that blond brat had broken his clone's neck with his bare hands, then he had forced him, _him!_ To let go of his prisoner. Next, not only had that same gaki managed to dodge an overhead swing from Kubikiri Bocho at what was essentially point blank range, but then Kakashi had rendered one of his most powerful offensive jutsu useless by copying it! And _now_ it looked like that partner of his had managed to get himself killed. What had at first seemed like a stupidly easy assassination was quickly becoming downright dangerous. Still, as a member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist (even as a nuke-nin, he had his pride damnit!) and the Kirigakure no Kaijin (The Demon of the Hidden Mist), he would complete his objective or 'die' trying. With these thoughts in mind, Zabuza quickly formed three handseals and exclaimed, **"Suiton: Mizurappa!" (Water Release: Violent Water Wave)** A jet of water sprayed from his palm. Kakashi dodged it easily, but that was what Zabuza had been hoping for. He Shunshined, intending to appear in front of the old bridge-builder and decapitate him. "Gaagh!" Naruto, who still had his Adrenaline State active, had easily tracked Zabuza in his Shunshin and, with a blast of chakra from behind, shot over to meet him with a right hook. Due to the momentum and power behind the punch, his jawbone snapped from the impact. With a mangled scream of rage, the Kiri-nin seized the hilt of his sword with both hands and swung horizontally, determined to KILL that little blond shit! This, however, was his undoing.

With a calm confidence that would have made both of his parents proud, Naruto raise his left leg and stepped up onto the blade. As he rose, he used the effort of his step to drive a powerful kick from his right leg into Zabuza's jaw. Stunned at the blow, Zabuza's grip on his sword loosened as he flew backwards.

The Zanbatou clashed to the ground with Naruto standing on it. _Well, I'd say that thing's yours now, Naruto-kun,_ Kina said, a note of awe in her voice.

_Looks like it,_ Naruto agreed, bending down to grasp the handle. He focused a large amount of biomass into his arm, causing the muscles to bulge under his sleeve and his skin to turn gray. With a grunt, he hoisted the sword up onto his shoulder one-handed. _Good Log, this thing's heavy!_ Staggering slightly from the weight, he walked over to Zabuza. The humiliated enemy ninja, after being sent flying by his kick, had ended up leaning on a tree. As Naruto approached, Zabuza tried to push himself up and take back his sword, but Kurenai sank two pairs of kunai into his upper arms, rendering them useless.

"It's over, Zabuza. You've lost," Said Kakashi, striding over to them and sliding his hitai-ate back over his red eye.

"So I have," agreed Zabuza with difficulty. How he could speak through a broken jaw was anyone's guess, "It seems you've taught this kid well, Kakashi."

Kakashi sweatdropped. "I didn't teach him any of that, he did it himself."

The Kiri-nin's eyes widened in horror. _He's self-taught?_ Before anyone could do or say anything more, there was a flash of silver, and two needles embedded themselves in the side of Zabuza's neck. He twitched once before slumping to the ground.

Kakashi knelt down and felt for a pulse. "...He's dead," he proclaimed grimly.

"My thanks for defeating him," Said a soft voice. Everyone who was still awake turned and saw a young woman in a baggy, dark green battle-kimono and pin-striped brown pants. She wore her hair up in a bun and a white porcelain mask decorated with two purple swirls. On the forehead of the mask, she bore the symbol for Kirigakure. "I have been tracking Zabuza-san for quite some time and only just now saw the chance to kill him."

_Who is she?_ Naruto asked Alex.

_A hunter-nin,_ Alex replied, _It's their job to track down nuke-nin, kill them, and dispose of their bodies._

_Why?_

_Even in death, a ninja's body can give away secrets about training methods, soldier pills, techniques, or Kekkei Genkai of their village. Hunter-nin are meant to make sure that doesn't happen._

Naruto nodded slightly, then jumped a bit as an unfamiliar hand tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to come face-to-mask with the hunter. "Er, yes?" He asked nervously. As he did, he noticed a small puncture mark in the center of the mask, like someone had tried to stab her in the face and failed.

She pointed to the zanbatou balanced on his shoulder. "That sword is the property of Kirigakure no Sato," She said flatly, "Please hand it over."

He shrugged. "Okay," He said easily. He flipped the sword off his shoulder and handed it, hilt first, to her. When he let go of it, she had to stagger back in order to not be flattened by the weight.

"Th-thank you," She grunted. She dragged herself over to the body of Zabuza and somehow hoisted him up over her shoulder before Shunshining away.

There was a long, awkward silence. "Well...that was anti-climactic," Said Naruto. He looked around at all the unconscious other members of the teams. Tazuna, it seemed, had passed out a while ago. In fact, the only person who was still awake apart from himself and the two Jonin was Shino, who was managing to look both shaken and calm at the same time, if that was possible. Naruto sighed, jogging over to Sasuke's prone form and nudging him with his foot. "Oi, teme, wake up. The fight's over." Even as the Uchiha groaned and sat up, Naruto had gone to Tazuna and poked him in the cheek. "You too, old man, wake up." Naruto would have continued to do this for the others, but Kakashi spoke up and suggested that they not waste any more time and just carry the others to Tazuna's house, which wasn't that far away. A disgruntled Shino ended up carrying Kiba while a quivering Akamaru trotted beside him, Sasuke carried Sakura, to his disgust, and Naruto easily picked up Hinata bridal style, causing her to unconsciously snuggle her head into his chest.

_Aw, isn't that cute?_ Crooned Kina.

Naruto did not dignify that with an answer and set off, following Tazuna back to his home.

(Meanwhile, in a clearing some distance away)

The hunter-nin set down the body of her quarry gently before letting his sword fall to the ground with a loud thunk. Panting, she lifted off her mask, revealing a pale, lovely face, and wiped at her sweating brow. "You could stand to lose a few pounds, Zabuza-sama," She gasped, "It's a good thing I did not need to recover Ga-san, or I might not have gotten away."

"Honestly, Haku-san," Said a wry voice, "I don't think my weight would have made that much of a difference." Haku yelped and spun, a set of senbon appearing in her hands. Ga himself stood next to them, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. "What?" He asked her, "You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?"

Haku relaxed, scowling. "Why did you not help Zabuza-sama when those Konoha-nin cornered him?" She demanded sharply.

"Are you crazy?" Ga asked incredulously, rubbing at his chest where Kurenai had stabbed him. Where the wound had been, however, there was no sign of blood. "I got knifed in the fucking chest, girl! I'm just lucky it missed my lung, or I might not have been able to pull myself back together so soon." He sighed, shaking his head. "Shouldn't you be getting those needles out of his neck?" He added, jerking his head at his partner. "He's starting to look a little gray."

Haku blinked, looked over as well, yelped again, and scrambled to cut the bandages away from Zabuza's mouth. Finally, she pulled the needles out, releasing the pressure points that had kept him in a state of false death. "Gaaah," Zabuza moaned in pain; his jaw was killing him, his neck ached from where Haku had thrown those needles at him, and his arms felt dead from the kunai wounds.

"Oh, good, you remembered my name!" Ga said cheerfully, "What is it?"

"Shut...up," Zabuza growled. With his jaw broken, it took a considerable effort to get the words out. He glanced over at Haku's worried face and noticed something. "What...happen...face?" He ground out.

She blinked and felt the bridge of her nose, where there was a tiny pinprick of a wound. It had stopped bleeding soon after she had gotten it, but still stung. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a rust-red spike, the very tip of it stained with blood. "That blond boy threw this at me. If I had been even a half-second slower in Kawirimi-ing, I would not have been able to come to your rescue, Zabuza-sama."

The Kiri-nin growled furiously. He was coming to hate that little bastard as much as he hated that pretentious ass Gato. Not only had the kid beaten a Jonin like him, he'd also stolen his sword. At the same time, Zabuza felt just a tiny stab of respect for Naruto. _If a guy like him was able to get Kubikiri Bocho away from me and then pick it up so easily, I suppose it wouldn't be such a bad thing,_ He thought, _If I were to die, he might potentially become its new master. Heh, one of the Seven Swords in the hands of a Konoha brat. If that doesn't piss off the assholes back at Kiri, I don't know what will._

(Centerplane, Scattered Foundations, Binary Compound)

Carlos Binarius stood in the middle of a darkened, spacious, windowless room. Even without light, though, he could still see, having set the filters in his glasses to night-vision. It might not be necessary, but he always liked doing these things in the dark. On the tattooed index finger of his right hand, he wore a ring. It wasn't an ordinary ring, however. If you were to take a closer look, you would see that it was actually a tiny multi-barreled gun, with a small trigger that stuck out so that Carlos could pull it with his thumb. This antique weapon had been modified so that it could fire bullets of compressed chakra for paralysis, stunning, or just stinging. _If I'm going to go back to that world, I might as well have a weapon that follows its rules,_ He reasoned to himself. **"Run program,"** He commanded, tapping into the system of the room.With a flicker of green light, what looked like a black manikin materialized. A series of 361 spots shone all over its body, representing tenketsu on a normal human. Stiffening into an upright stance, Carlos raised his fist out in front of him, synching the movements of his arm with a targeting reticle that appeared on the inner part of his glasses lens. **"Begin session."**

The manikin twitched and started to run forward at about the same speed as a normal person. Instantly Carlos took aim and fired, several bullets of glowing green chakra zipping from the ring to strike several tenketsu on the dummy's leg. The dummy stumbled and fell, its left leg trailing as the tenketsu for motion were shut off. Carlos quickly re-aimed and fired, hitting the major tenketsu in the arm next, then the other arm. Finally, he poured a larger amount of chakra into the ring, the next shot meant to kill. *Bang!* The dummy hit the ground, its head exploding into shards of silicon. **"Erase target,"** He ordered, not even blinking. The dummy vanished. **"New target. Quantity: 2, speed: Genin, offensive: general-low. Show tenketsu. Run program."** As the emotionless command left his lips, two more targets appeared, crouched in a taijutsu stance. **"Begin session."** They sprang forward, kunai appearing in their jointed hands.

*Bang, Bang!* One fell to its knees as the tenketsu shut down. *Bang!* the back of its head blew off and it fell forward, shattering into shards and dust. Without missing a beat, Carlos' attention snapped to the other one, just as the kunai in its hand was about to skewer him. *Bang.* It stumbled back, clutching at its chest for a moment before falling and crumbling as well.

Carlos sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. **"Training over,"** He said to the empty room, **"Refold space. Configuration code: Carlos_room."** For a second, the walls glowed green and strings of computer code and hexagons streamed across the surfaces. Then, with a flicker, the whole room just...snapped, and the green-haired man found himself standing in a small, brightly lit bedroom with white walls, a desk by one wall, a computer by one corner near the door, and a bed in the opposite one. His mouth twitched slightly in amusement as he acknowledged that his own room was pretty much parallel to that of his Gorem half-brother, Len Ferro. _No,_ he corrected himself, glancing at the desk, _not entirely parallel._ He walked slowly over to the desk and picked up a small framed photograph. In it was Carlos's daughter, Sophie, looking older, with a more mature look in her eyes than at present. He had his hands on the shoulders of two of the other three people in the picture. The one on his right was a short girl with dark blue hair, smiling shyly. On his left was a boy with dark gray clothes and blond hair, grinning broadly. In the picture, it was easy to see that the boy had blue eyes with concentric circles in them. In the middle was another boy. He was wrapped from head to foot in white bandages, with only his dark eyes and a tuft of fluffy, off-white hair that stuck out at the top. His eyes were crinkled in a smile, quite possibly one of the few times that Carlos could remember Morris doing so.

That picture had been taken many years ago, the last time the technology Elemental had set foot in the Naruto-verse. While those had been some of the best times he'd had in a long time, it had made him want to never set foot in those sides again. It was not because the team members had died, oh no, they had actually become part of the Gormim themselves. It was the feeling of leaving that world, knowing that he would never have a reason to come back, that had hurt so badly. Now though, after his feelings had settled down somewhat, he felt that he might give it another go. It would be interesting to experience things from the student's point of view, certainly.

There was a knock at the door. "Oi, Carlos, you in here?"

"What do you want, Len?" Carlos called, setting the picture down.

The door opened and Len poked his head in, grinning mischievously. "I heard that you finally decided to get out of your little cave," He said, stalking through the door, "I'd like to say congratulations, but then you'd probably shoot me."

"I take it you've seen Blair," Carlos interjected, not denying the comment, "And you're on the team as well?"

"Hells yeah! This is gonna be fun," Len said enthusiastically, "Ya know, I've always wanted to take part in the Chunin Exams." Then he furrowed his brow in thought, "We're gonna have to make ourselves younger, though, aren't we?"

"Correct. If we were to join in adult forms, claiming to be Genin, no one would believe us, which would lead to unwanted investigation and interrogation. Late teens, however, would be alright."

Len grimaced. "Ah, that blows." He sighed, then changed the subject. "Hey, you know who the third member is?"

"Olivia Vetra," Carlos replied immediately, "A distant cousin of mine, elementally. I believe this shall be her first venture into a side."

"Oh," Said Len, brightening, "A virgin! Nice." *Bonk.* "Ow!"

Carlos had thrown a random paperweight at his head. "Don't even think about it, Lavernius."

"It's LEN, dammit!" Len yelled, firing up. "Come on, bro, can't you give me a break? It's been such a long time since I've had some-"

"No," Carlos snapped, "There is no way in hell a newcomer like Olivia would consent to be with you. And you know what happens to rapists in this family."

That instantly sobered up the Ferro. One of the older members, Kelvin Ghiaccio, hated rapists with a passion and would require little reason to dice someone to pieces. Even for a Gorem, it was not a pleasant experience. "Yeah...you're right," he sighed, "Maybe I'll find someone in Konoha who'll be willing..."

"Why don't you just get a steady girlfriend?" Carlos asked exasperatedly, "Then you could just bring her back with you and I wouldn't have to put up with your antics anymore."

"Sorry, bro," Len said, grinning apologetically and giving a peace sign, "_That_ princess is in another castle."

Carlos' eye twitched at the reference. With a flash of green light, a pair of enormous Gatling guns appeared in his arms. "Len Ferro," He growled, hefting the guns, "I'm going to give you five seconds to run before I murder you."

Len was already at the door. "I'm not retreating! I'm advancing...towards future victory!" He made one last parting shot before yanking the door open and sprinting down the hall.

"And now you quote Sarge," The dark-green-haired man muttered angrily, dashing out himself, "Get back here you *****!"

AN: PHEW! At long last, I'm done with this chapter. I'm exceedingly proud of this one, too.

Things to address:  
1. Naruto could remember Ga because he was talking about him with Alex the previous night. Also, Ga isn't really as good with memory wipes as he thinks he is.  
2. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Alex Mercer was once a loyal ninja of Konohagakure. I've seen a couple of Naruto X Prototype fics where Alex appears in Konoha, but I can guarantee that none of them actually established Alex as having a life there _before_ the story.  
3. Alex was the sensei of Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai. You can see why he despaired at learning about Gai's dressing habits.  
4. The person who Alex loved is an OC. In true manga format, I won't reveal her name until later, but she will end up becoming very important.  
5. Konoha believes that Alex disappeared on the night of the Kyuubi attack.  
6. I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of the fight. For those of you were wondering where Mido was...he was asleep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  
7. So yeah, Ga is working with Zabuza. Thank you, asredwr, for providing me with the start of this idea. As for why Ga didn't just kill Tazuna the night before, he was only hired to assist Zabuza; there was nothing in his contract about assassinating anyone.  
8. Ga knocked out Naruto first, but doing so required three jutsu, while knocking everyone else out was even easier to him. Tazuna, meanwhile, just fainted.  
9. Naruto has finally started to do some minor shape-shifting. The first thing he does is invent the gun, since they don't have any in the Naruto-verse. -_-'  
10. When Kurenai stabbed Ga, he had to activate one of his auxiliary powers, Zaktan. For those of you not familiar with Bionicle knowledge, it basically allows Ga/Nord to break down every cell in his body (and anything touching him, like his clothes and weapons) into an individual microscopic insectoid creature called a Protodite, then control the resulting swarm.  
11. There are two reasons that Ga could have recovered from his wound so quickly. A: when he uses his Zaktan power, it negates any wounds he suffered, due to the fact that he no longer has a body. B: since he's a wind Gorem, his is the fastest regeneration of the Gormim; he's almost always surrounded by air.  
12. The ring-gun that Carlos uses looks like this: http:/www(.)gadgetking(.)  
13. Carlos has spent a life-time in the Naruto-verse before. The photograph he has is of his team when he was there. The actual events of that life will be covered in my Perfection fic, when I get around to working on it.  
14. Len and Carlos are considered to be half-brothers, due to the relationship of Metal and Technology.  
15. Kelvin Ghiaccio will be introduced later on, as well as Morris and others.  
16. Because the Gormim live at the center of all reality, they refer to all other worlds as 'sides.'  
17. Carlos _really_ despises it when people make references or quotes (Sometimes he'll do it himself, but he's hypocritical like that). It pisses him off to no end, for some reason. So, obviously, Len does it pretty often to get him riled up.  
18. Olivia's distant relation to Carlos is elemental. Silicon is often in glass, as well as computers.

Well, that's it for this chapter! Please remember to leave a review when you're done.

Thanks! North South out.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Chapter 15, ready to go. Let's do this.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any of the other things referenced here. The only things I do own are the Gormim and the Centerplane.

"Speech"  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique/Empowered Command**

Chapter 15: Glass among the storm, a warm welcome, eyes in the forest, a theft, and the Archive

(Centerplane, Scattered Foundations)

Blair Souse sighed as she trekked the non-space, looking for the Vetra compound. According to Carlos, Olivia's home was located to the east of his own. So far, it looked like either she had forgotten which way was east, or the Vetra house was very far indeed. _But still, it's got to be her on the team,_ She thought determinedly, _If there is one world that she should go to for her first life, it's that one. And she needs to get used to fighting like a Gorem..._ A flash of lightning interrupted her thoughts and she looked up, startled. In front of her was a massive expanse of dark storm clouds. Occasionally a bolt would flash visibly between two of them. "What the..?" This was the Lampe region, where the lightning users dwelled. Definitely not a place for glass-makers like Olivia. "That's it, I'm totally lost," Blair moaned, crying anime tears, "Maybe someone there will have an idea of just how lost I am..." Dejectedly, she jogged towards the massive storm, running up a set of stairs where there were none. The sooner she found someone and got her info, the faster she could get out of here. The Lampe terrified her on a deep level; lightning was almost always a painful adversary against a harmless water Elemental like her. _At least there's water in the clouds,_ she consoled herself, running into the gray masses. Instantly, the giant storm reacted to her intrusion with a hail of protesting lightning going off simultaneously. Blair squealed in terror and curled up into a ball.

"What are you doing here?" Asked a voice. Blair looked up shakily to see a man looking down at her from atop a small cloud. He wore a black and yellow leather jacket and a look of serious intensity. This was Archer Lampe, one of the fiercest warriors of the family. "I would not expect a Souse to seek out the storm," He continued, his yellow eyes boring into her uncomfortably.

"I-I didn't, I just," Blair babbled, backpedaling, "I was just heading in this direction! I thought the Vetra house was over here."

There was a flash and crack of thunder and Archer was in front of her, a look of distrust on his face. "What business do you have with Olivia?" He asked suspiciously.

"I, um, I-"

"Spit it out," he ordered, stepping so close that tiny arcs of static electricity jumped between their bodies, causing her to twitch involuntarily.

Suddenly, a large glob of something see-through flew through the air, landing with a large *splat!* on top of Archer's head. "Knock it off, Arch!" Called a female voice. A slim young girl with an artist's smock and messy white hair ran over to them as Archer scrabbled at the substance in his hair, which had hardened into a smooth helmet of glass.

"Olivia! Get this off me!"

"Nope, it's your punishment for bullying Blair like that! Besides, a little glass in the hair never hurt anyone," The now identified Olivia said firmly, taking Blair by the hand and leading her away, "C'mon, my place is this way."

_Never hurt _you,_ you mean,_ Archer thought, trying to get the smaller beads out of his blond-streaked brown hair. "Fuck."

It turned out that Blair had been going in the right direction after all. Olivia's small house sat directly on top of the tumultuous lightning storm. Inside was what looked an entire alien zoo that had been turned to glass. All of the rooms were decorated with glass sculptures of animals; some looked quite normal, like a Pangolin. Others, like the three-headed Drat* hanging over the back of the living room couch, confused her. Apart from the fact that they were glass, to Blair they looked so real that she was half-surprised that they didn't move away. Patches of color had been mixed in with the clear glass to distinguish them from their surroundings. However, if she had taken the time to explore the house, she would have noticed the distinct lack of a glassmaking furnace.

"Sorry about Archer," Olivia said, shifting a blue dachshund off of a chair to give the Water Elemental a place to sit, "He always gets pretty crabby whenever he's at home. Normally he's not so in-your-face, but, well..." She shrugged, "You must've caught him on a bad day. Anyway, what did you want to see me for?"

"Right..." Blair blinked, tearing her eyes away from a delicate-looking glass insect, "I know that you've never been to a side before and, well, I've been trying to assemble a team three people. There's a spot left for you, if you want to join."

The Glass Elemental blinked. "What is this team going to do?"

"Well, have you ever read the Naruto series?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but why do you need three-" She quickly caught on, "Oh! You're making a team! But why are you going?"

Blair explained about Alex, the member of their clan who had wandered off a long time ago, looking for people to recruit to his own house. "It's high time we brought him home," She said confidently, "It's not right for a Gorem to be away from home for so long. I mean, one lifetime is fine, but thirty-four thousand years worth?"

"I-I see what you mean," Olivia said, sweatdropping, "But, what if he doesn't want to come home? I don't know much about the Blacklights, but I thought he was _the_ strongest warrior in the whole Centerplane."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Blair said, waving her hand with disregard, "But still, will you join us? It'd be a good way to get some fighting experience, being a ninja."

The younger Gorem sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"That's the spirit!" Blair laughed, "Your other teammates are going to be Len Ferro and Carlos Binarius."

"Carlos...is a cousin of mine, isn't he?" Olivia asked, trying to remember.

"Oh yeah, you'll be fine with him. Maybe you could get him to teach you something that you can use to fight."

"Hey, I can...fight..." The Water Elemental merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay...Glass isn't exactly a battle-oriented element, but it has some applications..." Both eyebrows now. "Fine, I'll go ask him for something."

"Good," Blair said, standing up and stretching, "We have three months by their world's time to get ready. See ya, Olivia." She left the house, running through the storm.

The moment she was gone, the glass creatures began to move of their own accord, with a lifelike fluidity. Olivia sighed again. "You know, you guys don't have to play dead every time someone comes over," she said to a glass cat. It merely butted its head against her cheek and purred musically.

(Naruto-verse, Land of Waves)

Hinata groaned as she opened her eyes. "You are awake," said a quiet voice. She looked around to see Shino sitting nearby. "How are you feeling, Hinata-san?" He asked.

"I'm okay." She sat up, blinking. "Where are we?"

"We are at Tazuna-san's house," The emotionless boy told her, "You have been asleep for an hour."

She thanked him for the information and stood up shakily. "Is Naruto-kun alright?" She asked, "Wasn't he knocked out first?"

"Indeed, but he also woke up first," Shino agreed, "If it were not for him, Tazuna-san might have been killed after all."

Hinata smiled at that, feeling pride towards the boy who had her affections. "What did happen, exactly?"

Before the Aburame could answer, Naruto walked in and saw her. "Hey, Hina-chan!"

"H-hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, blushing a little.

"I would advise you keep it down, Naruto-san," Shino said quickly, "Kiba-san might be awoken by loud noises, and he needs his rest." This last bit was spoken with obvious sarcasm. The others knew that he meant, _"I need him to rest for as long as possible,"_ And they agreed that, as long as the dog-boy was asleep, he was considerably less annoying.

"Sure thing, Shino," Naruto whispered, "Coming, Hinata?" She nodded and they crept quietly out of the room, leaving Shino alone.

When they got downstairs to the living room, they were greeted by the rest of Team 7, Kakashi, Kurenai, Tazuna, and a kind-looking young woman with long black hair, who introduced herself as Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Hinata-san," Said Kakashi from his seat on the couch.

"Ah, thank y-you, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata said awkwardly.

"It's good to see you're alright, Hinata-chan," Kurenai said grimly, "Because we have some bad news."

"Oh, let me guess," Exclaimed Naruto, though everyone could hear the sarcasm in his voice, "Zabuza and that green bastard are still alive, aren't they?"

Kakashi blinked bemusedly. "Well, we worked out that Zabuza's alive, but how do you figure that that other man survived?"

"A guy who looked that weak? There's no _way_ he'd die that easily! Same with Zabuza; just intuition."

Everyone face-faulted at that. "Baka!" yelled Sakura, shaking her fist at Naruto, "Don't make guesses like that without proof!"

"Watch who you're threatening to hit, Haruno-san," Hinata interrupted coldly, glaring angrily at the pink-haired girl. It was precisely for this reason that she disliked Sakura; she always hit _her_ Naruto-kun! Well not this time, bit-

"Alright, settle down," Naruto barked authoritatively, causing both girls to back down, despite themselves, "So, sensei, what _did_ tip you off that Zabuza was alive?" He asked pointedly.

_Nice diversionary tactic, Naruto-kun,_ Kakashi thought, "The weapons that the Hunter-nin used were senbon- throwing needles. Normally, it's incredibly difficult to kill a person with them; they have to be thrown very precisely at specific spots. However, it's also possible to use senbon to induce a death-like state in a target by striking certain nerves in the neck. I surmise that this is precisely what happened to Zabuza."

"And what led you to believe that?" Asked Sasuke skeptically.

"Hunter-nin normally dispose of a body on the spot. This one took the body away."

"What about Ga?"

"Who?"

"The green guy...he reminded me of a moth, for some reason..." Naruto invented lamely. For some reason, he had the feeling that now was not the time to mention that they had met before.

Kurenai spoke up now, "When I stabbed him, he definitely said something. Whatever it was, he dissolved into some sort green dust and vanished. There wasn't a trace left. So either he's still alive, or it was just a way of disposing of his own corpse."

Suddenly, their discussion was interrupted by Shino entering the room, followed by a now-awakened Kiba. "Yo. 'Sup, bitches?" Kiba grunted sleepily. He was quickly brought to full consciousness by Naruto smacking him across the back of the head.

"Be polite, mutt-boy. That's not the way you say hello-"

"Mom? Who's that?" Everyone looked around to see a small boy wearing a fisherman's hat coming down the stairs.

"Oh, Inari," Said Tsunami, going over to the boy, "These are the ninjas hired to keep your grandpa safe. Everyone, this is my son, Inari."

Inside Naruto's head, Kina burst out laughing. "Yes, yes, we know, god of foxes and all that, but shut up!" Hissed Alex.

Inari just stared at all of them sullenly for a moment. Then he said simply, "You're all gonna die. No one can beat Gato."

"What's that, you little-" Kiba started angrily, "Of course we're gonna win! We'll take Gato out no problem!"

"Well, _you're_ certainly gonna die, with an attitude like that," Hinata muttered waspishly, still angry from before.

"O-oi, Hinata-chan," Stammered Kiba, looking surprised at having his bravado undermined by her.

Inari didn't pay them any notice; he just ran upstairs again.

"What's his problem?" Sakura asked, offended.

Tsunami sighed. "I'm sorry about that. Inari's been having a rough time lately, what with...everything that's happened." She glanced at a picture on the wall, a motion that most of the people in the room noticed. It was a group photo of the boy and his family. What they also noticed was that there was a fourth person in the picture, but his face had been cut out of it.

(Later)

The members of Teams 7 and 8 stood in the forest near Tazuna's house. "Oi, why're we out here again?" Kiba asked grumpily.

"If we're going to stand a chance when Zabuza finally recovers, we need to do some training," Kurenai explained impatiently, "So we might as well get this out of the way. I was meaning to teach you three this, anyway."

"Hm, I guess this _is_ as good a time as any to teach you," Kakashi said lazily, glancing at his own team, "Your task is gonna pretty difficult; you must climb a tree without hands."

Sakura raised her hand. "Um, sensei? How do we do that?"

Before the silver-haired Jonin could answer, Naruto spoke up. "With chakra, obviously. Watch." He walked over to a tree and, taking a moment to channel chakra to the soles of his feet, began to stride straight up the side of the trunk. "See?" He asked, "Pretty simple; you just send chakra to your feet and make it stick." He reached the first branch and turned onto the underside, smiling smugly up/down at them.

"Er..." Kakashi was surprised- and yet not surprised -that his third student had already learned tree-walking. "Yes...that _is_ pretty much how to do it. Thank you for the, uh, demonstration, Naruto."

"Anytime."

"Hey, wait a moment!" Kiba cut in, glaring up at the blond, "How come you already know this stuff, dobe?"

Privately, Sasuke and Sakura thought the same thing, but neither of them wanted to ask and look stupid.

Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Simple. I _read_, dumbass. That, and practicing it on my own doesn't hurt either." He jumped down from the branch, twisting in midair to land on his feet easily. He glanced coolly at Kakashi. "Since I already know this, can I go work on something else, sensei?"

Kakashi was about to say that it was fine by him, but Sasuke stepped forward. "Why should you go do solo stuff while the rest of us are stuck with this?" He demanded, glaring aggressively at the jinchuuriki.

Naruto merely shrugged. "Why not?" He returned simply, "I've already proved that I can do it, so there's no point in sticking around when I can use my time to learn something else useful."

"In that case, I'll go with you, Naruto. I can give you your own task to work on," Kakashi said quickly. He glanced at Kurenai. "Do you think you could handle the others while I take care of this?"

The black-haired Jonin frowned but nodded curtly.

"Come on," He motioned for Naruto to follow him. The blond followed him, ignoring the looks of jealousy and anger on Kiba and Sasuke's faces. "That wasn't very smart," Kakashi muttered to him as they moved out of earshot, "Now they're gonna think I'm playing favorites with you."

"I don't really give a damn what they think," Naruto replied, "Hinata-chan will understand and that's all that matters. If you don't want to play favorites, you can just tell me my task and then go back. It's that simple," He added with a touch of sarcasm.

Kakashi sighed. "Alright, fine. I want you to go find the nearest large body of water. When you get there, try and use chakra to stand on the surface of the water." He turned to head back. "I'll send someone to come get you, once we're done for the day."

"Got it," Droned Naruto. _Now to find a body of water. There's that lake that we fought Zabuza at..._ "Oi, Mido," he said, pulling at the cuff of his sleeve, "Wake up, I need you to do something." The snake poked its head out and hissed irritably. "Oh, don't give me that. I know that you didn't do shit when Zabuza came around, so make yourself useful and find that lake." So saying, he shook his arm, the reptile sliding out reluctantly. With a reproachful look on his face, he turned into a crow and flew off. A moment later, he flew back and told Naruto that the lake was five minutes away to the south-east. "Thanks," He said, setting off. With the help of chakra jets and biomass, he arrived at the lake. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** He cried, creating around five hundred clones around the shore of the lake. "Alright you guys, try and figure out a way to stand on water using chakra! Kakashi wasn't very specific, so you're gonna have to be creative in the method. If you fail, dispel yourself so all the others know what _not_ to do, and vice-versa if you succeed!"

"What're you gonna do, boss?" Called one clone.

"Blacklight stuff, obviously. I'll come join you if I finish early enough." Naruto closed his eyes and, a moment later, stood in front of Alex in his mindscape.

"Blacklight stuff, eh?" Alex asked, crossing his arms, "Alright, what do you need?"

Naruto thought for a moment, wondering how to proceed from here. "Hey, Alex, am I able to shape-shift yet?" He asked.

"Well, judging from that little transformation you did to surprise Zabuza, yeah, I'd say so," Alex said, nodding, "So what's up, you want me to teach you something? I should warn you, though, there's some stuff that's still beyond you; you don't have enough biomass stored in your void and your DNA isn't unstable enough to do the big stuff yet."

"Uh...would putting eyes on the back of my head count as something big?" Naruto asked tentatively.

_"What?"_ Kina yelped in surprise.

Alex, on the other hand, looked thoughtful rather than shocked. Perhaps it was a testament to the sheer amount of weird things he'd seen in his lifetime. "No, it doesn't," he finally denied, "Although, since you're still a newbie at shape-shifting, it'll be a long, arduous process to make sure you don't botch it. C'mon, it'll be easier in the DNA room." With a thought, Naruto instantly transported them to the chamber with the giant double-helix. "Thank you," Alex said, nodding at him, "Now, I know you didn't have much time to study anatomy, but do you know how the eyes work?"

"Uhhh," Naruto paled. He hadn't gotten that far in his reading.

"I don't mean the inner workings," The elder Blacklight said dismissively, waving his hand, "I can do that on my own. I mean about how it's connected to the brain and the eye sockets. Stuff like that."

"Oh," Naruto sighed with relief, "Yeah, I know that."

Alex nodded firmly. "Good. You'll work on reshaping your skull and making eye sockets in the right place. I'll work on making the actual eyeballs. Let's get to work."

Kina was watching the pair of them with an expression of horror on her face. "Eyes on the back of his head," She mumbled to herself, shuddering, "Blacklights are creepy."

Both Naruto and Alex faced the giant representation of the younger's DNA, their hands up. Both concentrated on the changes they wanted to make. Naruto could feel an odd, numbing sensation at the back of his skull, where he was changing the structure. The feeling intensified as he began molding biomass to create the nerves to connect to the brain. It took some time, but he managed it in the end, remembering to create some eyelids among the hair. "Alright, done," he said, reaching up to feel the back of his head.

"Wait," Alex said tightly, "Don't touch them yet. I've just gotta put the finishing membrane on before setting them. Just so you know, they're not gonna be human eyes, that'd just look disturbing on the back of your head."

Before Naruto could ask what Alex meant by 'not human eyes,' there was a blinding pain from behind him. He collapsed with a yell, rolling around, his hands clasped to the back of his skull as he writhed with pain. He could faintly hear Kina frantically asking what was wrong and Alex explaining something about brain structure. Then, finally, it was over and Naruto fell limp, breathing hard.

"You alright?" Asked Alex from above him.

"Y...yeah." Naruto slowly dragged himself into a sitting position and opened his eyes. "Whoa! That's totally weird!" In opening his eyes, he found himself not only seeing what was in front of him, but he could also see Kina, who was directly behind him.

"Since you now have two sets of eyes, your brain had to change to adapt to seeing two different viewpoints at the same time," Alex explained, "On the plus side, you'll be able to see an attack coming from behind without having to turn around. The downside, I think, is that you'll have to keep your hood down, plus the fact that they'd be pretty easy to see if someone's right behind you. Though, I think the hood is the more pressing problem."

"Yeah, me too," Naruto agreed.

Kina face-palmed in exasperation. "Are you two nuts?" She demanded of them, "He's walking around with a pair of green marbles in his head and all you're worried about is the damn hood?"

"Hoods are cool," They both said flatly, as though that settled the matter.

Although, the fox-girl was right about one thing; rather than a pair of human eyes, Naruto's new pair of ocular organs resembled large, dark green marbles, the lids disguised by the hair growing on them. He practiced opening and closing, the rear eyes becoming perfectly hidden when he shut them.

"Thanks, Alex," Naruto said gratefully, standing up and stretching, "I don't think I could have done this without you. Would you mind lending me some templates to use for other shape-shifting?"

Alex nodded before snapping his fingers and tapping Naruto on the forehead. "There, that should be enough for now; Claws and Whipfist are pretty versatile powers, and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with variants. Also, you've already managed to use Muscle Mass on your own." The blond boy nodded before returning to his conscious state.

"You're both crazy," Kina repeated, shaking her head, "Absolutely crazy."

"Oh, get over it," Alex said absently, "It's no different from having the Byakugan; either way, you're still seeing in multiple directions." He had gone back to staring at the DNA. "Hey, Kina," He said suddenly, "Did you know that the Uzumakis are descended from the Rikudo Sennin (Sage of Six Paths)?"

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

Alex continued as if she hadn't spoken. "In fact, in canon, there's a kid of Uzumaki descent out there who possesses the Rinnegan. And you know something?" He turned to look at her, his face blank, his thumb pointing back over his shoulder at the double-helix. "Naruto's genetic code very closely resembles his. Especially in the part that concerns the eyes, if you know what I mean."

Kina shivered unconsciously at the flat tone in his voice. "Are you going to tell him about it?" She asked.

"No," Alex shrugged, "Not yet, at least. He's got enough power at the moment."

(Back in reality)

Naruto stood up again. _Dunno why I bothered standing up in there if I'm still sitting down out here,_ He rambled to himself, _Oh well, might as well check out the new stuff. New eyes?_ He made them blink. _Check. Claws?_ With barely a thought, his arms became black, twisted, and sinewy, with sets of four, long, metallic claws each, which he could bend as if they were normal fingers. _Check. Whipfist?_ This time, his arms became more tubular, with a sharp, trident-like hook at the end. He practiced attacking and stretching with it, stabbing a distant tree and whipping the arms around him in a circle. _Check. Water walking?_ He reviewed the clone memories that had accumulated over the past hour. _Check._ The clones had long since figured out the trick to standing on the water's surface and were now practicing running on it, hoping to improve their/his chakra control further. "Hey!" He called to a group of clones, "You guys, over here!"

They jogged over to him. "What's up, boss?" asked one.

"I need you to fight me," Naruto told them. He quickly made another Kage Bunshin, using as little chakra as possible, and dispelled it, giving his clones knowledge of what he'd been doing. "I need to test out these new abilities. Feel free to pull biomass out of the void to keep yourselves alive and don't hesitate to come up with new transformations, alright?"

"Hai!" The Bunshin called. Some got into Taijutsu stances, others activated their Claws, others used the Whipfist, and so on, but all activated their Adrenaline State.

Naruto activated the Muscle Mass, his sleeves melting into his arms as his muscles bulged, the skin turning gray. "Let's do this."

Instantly two clones charged at him, claws swinging. Naruto nimbly dodged around the sharpened fingers, fists swinging as he spun. With twin cracks, both went down, dispelling from having their heads caved in. From his rear eyes, Naruto saw the barbed hooks of a Whipfist spearing towards him. He sprang into a back flip, the stretchy appendage passing underneath him. However, before he could land, while he was still upside down, Naruto saw four clones approaching from all sides. Two of them had no transformations, their fists cocked to punch him. One seemed to have combined both the Claw and the Whipfist, the whip bearing wickedly sharp, thorn-like blades all along its length, which the clone swung at him. The fourth (which was also the one who had gotten him into this situation in the first place) had stabbed the tip of his Whipfist into the tree and was pulling himself towards Naruto. This clone had transformed his right arm, along with his legs it seemed, into what looked like a giant scythe blade, which was headed straight for him.

Naruto used some well-placed chakra jets to flip himself in midair and reorient himself. Then, so quickly it almost hurt, he changed his right arm to a Whipfist and jabbed it at the Thorn-Whip-wielding clone, while at the same time lashing out with his enhanced left arm at one of the Taijutsu-clones, dispelling it with a well-placed blow to the head, which snapped its neck. The clone in front of him gave a yell as the hook stabbed into his abdomen, but didn't dispel, which is what Naruto was counting on. Another burst of chakra, this time turning him clockwise; he pulled at the right shoulder, yanking the Thorn-Whip clone towards him, but to the right. The other Taijutsu clone saw what he was doing and tried to duck, but the snagged Bunshin crashed into him, sending both of them flying into the path of the giant scythe blade and getting them sliced in half.

The Guillotine was not slowed down by its victims and sped on. By this time, Naruto was back on his feet. With more chakra bursts, he turned to fully face the oncoming blade, at the same time shifting his right arm back to Muscle Mass and putting up both of his hands. There was a flash of fiery pain as the blade met him; the heavy edge cutting deeply into his palms. With a grunt, he used chakra to anchor himself to the ground, the increased strength in his arms proving sufficient to hold the transformed Bunshin at bay. "Very good," He growled at it, noting the single green eye located where the scythe met the retracting whip. "But this is my win." Slowly, painfully, he raised his right hand, which had a deep gash across the palm, and pointed it at the eye.

A tiny spike, rust red in color, extended from the wound and penetrated deeply into the eye, and presumably the brain beyond it. The scythe clone dispelled, causing Naruto to fall flat on his face due to a loss of balance.

The entire battle had taken about 5 seconds, due to the high-speed reactions of the Adrenaline State. Now, however, Naruto was very aware of a deep aching in his muscles from moving so quickly in such a short time. He lay there, face down, reviewing the memories of the clones who had fought him, with no clue what to do now.

"Is that comfortable, lying on your front like that?" Asked a curious and familiar voice.

Naruto's rear eyes snapped open and glared upwards at the tall figure standing over him. "What do you want, Ga-teme?" He growled.

"Ara?" The assassin tilted his head innocently, "How is it you know my name, little Genin?"

"Don't get cute with me, bastard," Naruto retorted. He rolled over onto his back, glaring at Ga, "Your little mind wipe didn't work on me, back at the fire. You know full well that we've met before."

"Damn," Ga sighed, "I'd hoped...but I've always been terrible at that, so it's no surprise." He sat down casually while Naruto glared at him. "What? I'm not going to fight you; no point, really." So saying, he reached up to undo his scarf. "See? I'm going to show you my face, just to prove that you can trust me."

"I don't know what makes you think that'll convince me," The blond deadpanned, though he sat up too, "But fine, go ahead."

When Ga had unwound the scarf fully, he looked at Naruto with stormy gray eyes. "Huh. You have two differently colored eyes. That's different." He mumbled that last bit to himself, though Naruto could hear him perfectly.

"Huh. Your hair sticks up like that on its own. That's different," Naruto shot back.

"Touché, Genin-san."

The spiky blond narrowed his eyes. "That's not my name and you know it."

The other blond was thrown by that. There was something about the way he had phrased it... "What do you mean...Naruto-san?" He said experimentally.

"I mean, I know that you know exactly who I am, Gorem."

Ga was on his feet so fast that you'd have thought he was hit by a Sennen Goroshi. "How do you know about that?" He demanded, all playfulness gone from his voice and face, "Nobody knows about us!"

Realizing that he'd entered dangerous waters, Naruto waved it off and said hastily, "Well, when you attacked us by the fire, I saw the Hitai-ate plate on your scarf."

"That shouldn't mean anything to you," The man insisted, _and even then, the most it _should_ mean to him is that I'm from Ma-Nigakure, so how? This Naruto is not a Gorem, that much I can tell._

"But it does," Naruto shrugged, "And you've just more or less confirmed that that's what you are with those denials."

Ga grimaced. "I don't suppose you'll tell me how it is that you know about the Gormim? I swear not to force you."

The Genin shook his head. "It's about as likely to happen as you are to give up on helping Zabuza."

"I can't do that. There are obligations which must be met."

"Thought so." Silence for a moment. "So, why did you come here?"

The blond man sighed. "Well, at first I was bored and just wanted to mess with your head a little, but now you've really put me off with your impossible knowledge. Now I don't know what to do."

"You're a very honest person," Naruto observed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." The blank face that Ga bore made it impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. "Tell me, did your fox-like intelligence allow you to see it so easily, or am I just so transparent to your mismatched eyes." Okay. That was definitely sarcasm.

"You're laying it on a bit thick."

"And you're pointing out the obvious."

"W-well...your hair is weird!"

"How do you know that? You're not even looking at me properly!"

Naruto blinked. "What?" He found himself asking the ground. He rolled over and sat up, spitting out dirt. Ga was nowhere to be seen. "Okay, now that was freaky. What just happened?"

_Oh, this guy is _good.

_Huh? So, wait, he was here? It wasn't a dream?_

_He was here, alright. The problem is, it's very difficult to tell you how long he was really there._ Sensing his jailor's confusion, Alex elaborated. _He put you under an illusion before laying you down in the same position he found you in._

"Wouldn't Naruto-kun have felt that?" Kina asked.

_Not necessarily. It is possible to create an illusion that masks a sense of touch, which is why you didn't feel anything._ A pause. _The part I find confusing is that he made such a simple illusion, or why he made it so short._

_Or why he's gone already,_ Naruto added, casting out with his chakra senses, _Even if that entire situation was an illusion, there's no way he could have moved fast enough in that amount of time to get out of my range. Granted, my range can't hold a candle to the Byakugan, but still._

_I think I have an answer to that, Naruto-kun,_ Kina said, _Look at the sky._

Naruto obediently looked up and gasped. Where before it had been early in the afternoon, now the sun had started to go down. All of the clones that had been practicing by the lake were now gone. _He did something,_ He thought with horror, _Fucked with my perception of time! Alex, are there Genjutsu that seem to take a few minutes but actually stretch into hours?_

_No,_ Said Alex, sounding highly perturbed, _There are none. The only one that even comes close is the Tsukuyomi and that does the complete opposite, compressing three days of illusion into three seconds!_

Before Naruto could respond to this disturbing bit of information, there came a timid call of, "N-Naruto-kun!" He looked around to see Hinata walking towards him. "W-we're done training for the day," She told him, "I came to bring you back to the house."

"Already?" He groaned, "Good. This has been one hell of a day."

Hinata looked confused. "What?"

"I've been asking that all day," He sighed, "Come on, I'll tell you on the way. Now that I think about it, there's a _lot_ of stuff I need to tell you."

As they walked, Naruto told her about his new techniques, as well as the fact that he now had another pair of eyes, which he showed by blinking at her with his back turned to her. Truth be told, she found them a little unsettling, but politely said that they were rather nice eyes. She frowned when he described the odd encounter with the green ninja who had gotten the jump on them earlier. "Alex-san is right, K-Kurenai-sensei is considered a Genjutsu Mistress, and not even she could produce an illusion that subtle and powerful so q-quickly. From the s-sound of it, this G-Ga person managed to do just that, without any visible giveaway. I w-wonder just how good he is..." The Hyuuga girl mused.

"And that's not all!" Naruto exclaimed, "Back when we were on the boat, Alex told me some very interesting stuff about his past here." As best as he could, he recounted Alex's telling of his life story, including the bit about Alex teaching a team with Kurenai as a Genin.

"I never kn-knew who Kurenai-sensei's sensei was," Hinata said wonderingly, "She never m-mentioned his name, but I think that she was under the impression that you were n-not a good teacher, Alex-san. No offense!" She said quickly, afraid she had gotten the Blacklight angry.

Naruto, who felt Alex's desire to respond, quickly performed the Onsei Densō no Jutsu on Mido to give Alex a part in the conversation.

_"No,"_ He said regretfully, _"I'm afraid Kure-chan and I never really got along that well. Oh, sure, there certainly was some companionship, but I think she was always a little bitter about the fact that I just couldn't teach her anything. Since I lack the ability to use or create chakra in this specific world, I was unable to teach Ninjutsu and Genjutsu to my students. Gai and Asuma were alright; Gai was a solid Taijutsu user, while Asuma preferred using his knives, though I'm sure he learned some Ninjutsu on the side. Kurenai, though, was a Genjutsu user, and there was only so much advice one can give based off of books. Then there was the fact that I disappeared right before the Kyuubi attack."_ There was a pause. _"You know something, Naruto, Hinata?"_

"What?"

"Yes?"

Bleakly, the possessed crow said, _"It's gonna be a _very_ eventful homecoming, once it gets out that I'm still alive."_ If it was possible, Alex would have made the crow smile. Then his voice became firmer, more commanding. _"Speaking of which, Naruto, I think that you should tell Sarutobi about me after you all get back from this mission."_

"Ah! Um, right," Naruto stammered, a little thrown by this change in tone.

Soon, the two of them reached Tazuna's house. Inside, they found the other Genin and the Jonin-sensei seated around the kitchen table. "Yo," Kakashi greeted lazily, "We nearly started without you." The table was laid out with dinner.

"'Bout time you showed up, dobe," Sasuke muttered sourly.

"You say something, teme?" Naruto asked dismissively. He looked around, "How'd you guys do with the tree walking?"

Sasuke looked mutinous. "...Twelve feet," He admitted coldly, "But I didn't reach the branch. Still, it's better than Kiba was."

"Sasuke!" Kurenai said sharply, "I would not belittle a comrade's progress if I were you; Kiba managed to keep performing after you had exhausted your chakra."

"Tch," The Uchiha turned his head away.

"Heh, jealous that I have more chakra, teme?" Kiba said, smirking.

"I managed to reach the closest branch on my fifth try," Shino reported.

"I got there on the first try!" Sakura said proudly.

"And were too tired to get down without assistance," Hinata coldly cut in.

The pink-haired girl turned to glower at the shorter Hyuuga. "At least _I_ didn't nearly fall off trying to get to the next branch," She sniffed.

Hinata opened her mouth to argue back, but Kakashi interrupted. "What about you, Naruto?" He asked pointedly, "Did you manage to do the exercise?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Definitely completed that one."

"Would you care to demonstrate?"

He looked at Kakashi as if he'd just admitted to having two eyes. "How am I supposed to do that, stand in the sink?"

A ripple of laughter went around the table at the joke. Even Tsunami and Tazuna chuckled at the absurdity of the idea the orange boy standing in the kitchen sink. Only Inari wasn't amused by the question; he only scowled at Naruto before slipping away from the table. "Where are you going, Inari?" Tsunami asked.

"I'm not hungry anymore," The boy said angrily, stumping up the stairs.

Naruto grimaced. _Little brat._ "On a more serious note, sensei," Naruto said, his eyes narrowing, "I had a close encounter with the enemy earlier."

Kiba just snorted with laughter. "Hah! Yeah right, dobe. You probably just fell asleep and dreamed it up."

Kakashi, on the other hand, frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, after I finished training and sparring with my clones, I was approached by that Ga guy," Naruto explained.

"Ga?" Tazuna asked.

"That's the name of the green guy who was helping Zabuza. Anyway, he's still alive, and he talked to me."

"What did he want?" Kurenai asked. She was rather peeved that the man had managed to escape after all.

Naruto bit his lip, looking slightly ashamed. "To be honest, I don't really know. It seemed like a semi-civilized conversation in which he took off his scarf and took a few minutes to talk. Next thing I know, I'm talking to the dirt floor, he's gone, and the sun is setting. I think he must have put some really powerful Genjutsu on me."

"How do you know it wasn't just a dream and that you fell asleep?" Kurenai asked. She didn't like trampling a Genin's theories, but there were no Genjutsu that acted like Naruto implied that it did, if it had happened.

Naruto paled. He couldn't tell them that Alex had informed him of the illusion, but for the life of him, he just couldn't think of a legitimate answer. He kneaded his temples, already hearing Kiba snickering at his expense. "I...I don't," He mumbled, "I don't have any proof that I could show."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Kakashi said. He was frowning at Naruto as if only just seeing him for the first time, "After all, you don't seem like the type to just forget your headband."

The blond boy froze, his hand concealing his wide eyes. As if his sensei's words had whipped back a curtain, he was suddenly painfully aware of the smooth, blank, uncovered skin of his forehead. "That son of a _bitch!_" He said, his voice rising with each word, "He took my fucking headband!" Killing Intent started to roll off him as he stood up. All the others scrambled away from him as his pupils split into a cross; however, his irises did not turn green. They were a bright, glowing red as he unconsciously began drawing on Kina's youki. An awful, tainted feeling filled the air as he growled furiously. "I'm going to kill him," He snarled. He wheeled around and strode to the door, where he disappeared into the growing darkness.

"Shit!" Cursed Kakashi, springing to his feet as the paralyzing tainted feeling dissipated, "Kurenai, come with me! The rest of you, stay here." Both Jonin ran out of the house, chasing after the angry Jinchuuriki.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured worriedly, gazing out after them.

"W-what the hell was that?" Sakura gasped, shaking. Nobody had an answer for her.

(Outside)

Both Jonin quickly caught up with the furious Naruto, who was stalking into the forest. "Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi ordered.

"I'll calm down when I've pried my hitai-ate from that bastard's cold, dead grasp," Snapped Naruto. He did not even slow down, walking so quickly that it was nearly a flat-out run. "Ga! Where the fuck are you, you scarf-wearing shit-bag?" He bellowed, "I worked hard for that headband and I'm not gonna let some thief steal it from me!"

Meanwhile, inside the seal, Kina was hunched over and panting, a haze of red-orange youki shimmering around her from Naruto's rage. "Wha...what are you g-getting so worked up about?" She asked through gritted teeth, "It's not like you're gonna die if you don't wear the thing. If his attitude from before was any indication, he'd probably even give it back if you asked nicely."

"Not that you don't have a point," Alex sighed, "But he can't hear you. He's too riled up to listen to much reasoning. Besides, it's not just the fact that his hitai-ate- which is a big source of pride for a shinobi -got stolen; it's also the fact that he didn't even notice it was gone. Naruto's so mad because Ga basically made him look like a fool by taking one of his prized possessions from right under, er, over his nose. Probably."

Back in the real world, Naruto was still roaring challenges. Through his rear eyes, he saw that both Kakashi and Kurenai seemed to have vanished. This fact only served to irritate him further. Before he could open his mouth again, an annoyed voice said, "I heard you the first few times. What do you want?" Ga stood on a high tree branch, his concealed face tilted down at Naruto. He was easily visible due to a strange aura of chakra that shimmered around him. It was white at the center, but around the edges it darkened to a dirty gray.

Naruto growled, "I want my headband back, you bastard."

Ga snorted, pulling out the strip of blue fabric and engraved metal. "This thing? How are you gonna take it from me? You didn't even realize it when I took it in the first place." The aura around him pulsed as he spoke and Naruto's anger spiked with it.

His red eyes seem to glow in the near-darkness. "Last chance," He said quietly, "Hand it over."

Ga cocked his head and held the pilfered headband behind his back, his other hand coming up and beckoning mockingly at Naruto. "Come and get it." The white aura around him flared even higher, and with that, Naruto's rage broke.

With a roar and a blast of red chakra, Naruto rocketed upwards, taking a swipe at the thieving assassin with claws that he had extended so fast that he was not aware of it.

Ga made a leap backwards to avoid the attack, increasing the wind resistance around him to slow his fall. However, his wind-senses could not warn him in time of the long claws on the boy's hands, which managed to catch him across the chest, scoring four long scratches. He hissed under his scarf as the wounds stung, but already the scratches were healing, nourished by the surrounding air. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He berated himself repeatedly, _Why did I have to poke the hornet's nest? _Why? Because that damned Voice of his seemed determined to get him killed by the kid, that's why... He snapped open his fans and began trading blows with the enraged Jinchuuriki, at the same time increasing air resistance to act as an armor of sorts.

The two of them clashed all the way to the forest floor, the metal fans proving to be durable against the deadly biomass claws. Sparks flew as metal clashed with...well, something metallic at any rate. Ga spared a moment to be grateful for having already caught the two Jonin in an illusion, so as not to have them interfere in the fight. Fighting this kid by himself was enough of a hassle! He quickly reached up to undo his scarf. If he could make eye contact, he could catch Naruto in another illusion and try to make his getaway...

_Do not remove your scarf!_ Ordered the Voice without warning.

Unwittingly, Ga's hand froze before he could do so. He cursed himself; it seemed that he'd have to do this the hard- "Argh!" In the moment that his left hand was frozen, Naruto took advantage of his distraction. Three bladed claws found the flesh of his forearm and sliced through, also landing more scratches on Ga's chest. The green man cried out in pain as his severed arm fell; he tried to bring up his other fan to block, but it was quickly batted out of his hand. And still Naruto came, his claws carving deep, bloody wounds into the Gorem in his rage. _Perhaps I shouldn't have used the Anger pill..._ Ga thought weakly. There was no helping it now, he'd have to retreat again. He flung out a hand in Naruto's direction, focusing on the air in front of him. **"Daitoppa!"** He gasped out. A wave of wind blasted out from his palm, slamming into Naruto and sending him flying back. In that moment of calm, the bloodied, wounded assassin scrabbled at the pouch at his hip. His fingers shook as he lifted the pill to the scarf covering his face. He worked the capsule under the green cloth and past his lips, where he bit down hard on the pill. Instantly it took effect, coloring his chakra a cloying, metallic gray, interspersed with a darker gray; the color of Hunger.

Naruto growled and started back towards his enemy, but before he could, Ga streaked across the ground, a tiny swirling of air around his feet. He collided with the boy and slammed him into a tree, pinning him to the trunk a foot off the ground with his forearm pressed into the young blond's throat. Still Naruto's eyes glared, red and angry at him; in the sudden movement, Nord's scarf had slipped, revealing his eyes and allowing him to see properly. He molded his stained chakra, channeling it into the pinned Jinchuuriki.

Naruto gasped at the foreign chakra. While Kina's youki felt like a raging fire, this chakra felt like seeping cold. He could actually feel the strange energy draining the chakra and strength from him. The irrational anger he had felt also abated somewhat, leaving only a feeling of all-consuming, terrible hunger. He had a feeling that if he was not being held up by his throat at the moment, he would have fallen to his knees. _I seem to be passing out a lot, lately,_ He thought vaguely.

Finally, Ga stepped back, releasing Naruto, who fell heavily to the ground. The green assassin panted, gripping the stump of his wrist. The pain was seriously messing with his concentration. Although the wounds on his chest had stopped bleeding thanks to the energy he had absorbed, he had already lost a serious amount of blood to this kid. Not for the last time, he cursed the Voice. "Naruto!" Someone called. Ga cursed again for a different reason; it seemed that the illusion that he'd placed over Kakashi and Kurenai had dissipated due to his lack of focus. It was definitely time to go.

Naruto struggled to stand up, leaning against the tree trunk, trying to not think about the severe hunger pounding through him. He faintly heard Kakashi-sensei calling his name, but just couldn't muster the energy. Then Ga pulled something from his pocket. Naruto recognized it, somehow, as his stolen hitai-ate.

"You wanted this headband?" Ga snarled. As he held the metal plate between the fingers of his good hand, he channeled an amount of wind chakra to the edge. "Then _take it!"_ He hurled it so quickly, the headband only registered as a silvery blur in the darkness before burying itself end first in Naruto's shoulder. That quickly jolted Naruto from his stupor as he cried out in pain, his hand jumping to the metal plate sticking out of his flesh, his arms instinctively returning to normal. In that moment of distraction, Ga glanced around for his fans, found them, and snatched them up with his remaining hand.

"Hold it right there!" Shouted a voice. Ga whipped around. He had not had time to readjust his scarf, so he could now clearly see the angry visage of Kakashi Hatake. Kurenai had run to Naruto's side to try and supply medical attention for his wound to the shoulder. "You won't be getting away this time, Ga-san," Kakashi said coolly, drawing a kunai. He had decided to just go with Naruto's name for the man, rather than bother making one up himself.

"I can hardly see how you're going to stop me," Ga retorted, cradling his injured arm, "You might as well try to cut a cloud with that knife. **Zaktan!"** He cried. Instantly his body gave up all thought of cohesion and dissolved into a green cloud of mist, which quickly vanished into the night.

"Wow, you really showed him, sensei," Naruto groaned sarcastically.

"You're hardly one to talk, Naruto," Kurenai responded, wrapping bandages around the wounded area while trying not to disturb the metal plate embedded in it, "If I recall, _you_ were the one who went charging into the forest on your own shouting challenges."

"True," Naruto acknowledged, hissing in pain, "But I did manage to take a piece of him, as well as give him a good ass-kicking." He jerked his head at the severed hand lying abandoned on the ground.

Kakashi frowned as he walked over to it. "I guess you were right about him being still alive."

"Well, no shit. I mean, I met him in this forest and cut his fucking arm. I don't think I could do that if he was dead," Naruto snapped irritably. Then he looked pensive, "Well~, he could have been a zombie," He amended, "And either way, he probably won't get that arm back...And I probably just jinxed myself."

Kurenai sighed. "I think you're starting to become delirious, Naruto-san."

"You do? Well, I for one think that having my headband in my shoulder is starting to _really_ hurt. Excuse me while I remedy this." Reaching up, Naruto seized the piece of metal with his left hand.

"Wait, Naruto, don't do that! You'll only make it-"

"AAAARGH!"

"Worse," Kurenai finished, a tiny squeak in her voice as Naruto wrenched his hitai-ate out of his body.

"Oooh, holy shit that hurts," Groaned Naruto, "Ah, wait, there we go! Hoo, thank the Log for high-speed regeneration." Both Jonin stared in horror as the gaping wound in the boy's shoulder quickly undid itself, the cut sealing shut within seconds without leaving a scar. "Well, I don't know about you two, or what that bastard did, but I'm starving; I'm going back to the house." With that blunt statement, Naruto stood up and began walking away, still chattering. "I'll probably have to wash this thing off," They heard him mutter, "It smells like blood n' crap. I'd probably end up eating it..."

"K...Kurenai?" Kakashi asked, his eye twitching, "What the _hell_ is happening to my student?"

"I-I don't know," The black-haired Jonin. Unbidden, her fist clenched and a tick mark appeared on her temple, as if unconsciously remembering a past annoyance, "But he's starting to remind me a _lot_ of my old sensei. Makes me want to smack him."

Possibly Naruto heard her, for he subtly increased his pace. All the while, he didn't stop babbling, pulling Mido out of his jacket and telling the snake how annoyed he was to have not received any help during the fight.

(Meanwhile)

Haku sat on a chair by the wall of their hideout, while Zabuza appeared to be sleeping. The normally calm girl was seething, wondering where the hell their supposed partner was. He had left the shack that morning, giving no indication of where he was going. The false hunter-nin had no idea what Zabuza-sama was thinking when he had hired that scatterbrain of an assassin.

Clearly Zabuza felt the same. "That bastard better not be leading those Konoha-nin here. The idiot can't see for shit, so they could easily follow him," The bedridden nuke-nin groused.

The reason both of them were so annoyed was relatively simple: earlier that day, Gato had shown up. He had complained loudly about their failure to kill the old bridge-builder, insulted Zabuza's competence as a ninja, and tried to grab him when he was lying on the bed. He was politely discouraged from doing so when Haku seized his wrist and broke it, before threatening the business man's two swordsmen bodyguards with their own swords.

Gato had left soon after that, giving one last threat for good measure, which neither shinobi paid attention to. A little pipsqueak like Gato was all talk and money, nothing else.

Haku's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the door banging open. She raised her head and stared at the apparently empty doorway. "What is it?" Asked Zabuza. With some difficulty, he managed to raise his head.

With a swirl of what appeared to be green mist, Ga materialized through the door, his clothing ripped and covered in blood. He staggered, panting and clutching at the stump of his left hand.

"What the hell happened to you?" Haku asked in alarm.

Ga opened his mouth to reply but his scarf got in the way. Impatiently he yanked it off and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself; it was always a shock to make the transition from swarm to person. Finally, he just shook his head and said ruefully, "I've just been doing a lot of stupid things today."

"What's that mean?" Zabuza asked from the bed, "Did you go out and tangle with those Konoha-nin again?"

The blood-stained man had the decency to look sheepish, though he waved off Haku when she asked if he needed treatment. "Nah, I'm fine. To answer your question, Zabuza, I found that blond kid who was giving you trouble before. He was all alone, don't worry," He added, seeing the disabled man's eye twitching, "I just decided to play a trick on him by putting him under an illusion and stealing his headband, while placing another Genjutsu to make him not notice it was gone."

Zabuza snorted. "Serves that little brat right. But how'd you get so fucked up?"

Now a definite blush appeared on Ga's cheeks. "Ah," He mumbled, looking away and scratching the back of his head, "That's...where the stupidity comes in. Ya see, I went to the bridge-builder's house-"

_"What?"_

"Well, only the edge of the forest, really," He amended, "And- here's the stupid part -I used a special jutsu to manipulate the kid's emotions from afar, using his headband as a sort of focus. Now, being the idiot I am and the state I am now in, can you guess which emotion I chose to amplify?"

There was a moment of silence as both Kiri-nin studied their hired ally. Then Haku managed to connect the dots. "Anger?" She asked, taking in Ga's ragged appearance with a new trepidation.

"Yeah," Ga said seriously, holding up the stump of his arm, "Turns out he's even more dangerous when he's mad as a nest of hornets. If I didn't have my chakra pills and escape method, I wouldn't have managed to get out of there; Kakashi and that Kurenai woman showed up. Still, it wasn't a total loss. I managed to bury that kid's Hitai-ate in his shoulder before I left."

Zabuza blanched, though it was mostly hidden by the bandages over his face. Then he scowled. "What good are you now with only one hand?" He demanded, "Last I checked, performing Ninjutsu requires two hands, and that's you're specialty."

Ga rolled his eyes. "And last _I_ checked, that's bullshit. Everyone in this room is aware that jutsu can be performed one-handed." He made a sidelong glance at Haku, who stiffened. "Besides which," He continued, switching his attention back to Zabuza, "I am by no means crippled. Observe." He made a trio of quick handseals and flicked his fingers at Zabuza's head. There were a series of tiny cracks and three cuts appeared in the wall just above him and, with a jolt, Zabuza realized that he could actually see a shimmering of green chakra emanating from the slashes in the shape of kunai. Not just vague shapes made of chakra, but actual, solid kunai made of air. It quickly became clear to the former Kiri-nin that Ga was not someone to underestimate, even minus one arm.

With a blur of speed, Haku appeared behind the assassin, poised to plunge a senbon into his throat. "Don't you dare threaten Zabuza-sama!" She growled into his ear. However, she stiffened when she felt something hard and thin poke against her inner thigh.

"The Femoral Artery leads to fatal bleeding when cut," Ga said conversationally, gripping his closed fan in a reverse hold and holding it to the angry girl's leg, "Those pants won't protect you from a blade of wind. So put that needle down; I'm hardly going to kill the man who's paying for my services." After about a minute of stony silence, the senbon came away reluctantly, as did the fan. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to address these wounds," Said Ga, pocketing the folded weapon.

He crossed the room and was out the door in a few strides, the door swinging shut without him touching it, leaving a shaken Haku and a thoughtful Zabuza.

Outside, Nord winced, putting a hand to his shredded chest. Although he had done his best to ignore it in front of his two current partners, the wounds that Naruto had inflicted hurt like a bitch! They were no longer bleeding, his healing factor having healed them enough for that. Still, he was not going to go around with only one arm; he was, after all a Gorem and had his pride. His expression became more serious as he remembered his earlier conversation with the Uzumaki boy and his admission of knowledge about the Gormim. One could only imagine how the kid even _knew the name_, let alone the context of what it meant. Ah, well, that could be thought about later. Right now, though...

He glanced around, making sure no one was watching. Then he made a half Ram sign, concentrating. On his bare chest, on the left side of his ribs and placed slightly diagonally, an infinity sign made of wind faded in, before a thin black line cut horizontally through the rest of the tattoo. This was the only way for a Gorem to replace lost limbs. **"Devouring Infinity,"** He muttered, his eyes still closed. The black line wavered for a moment before splitting open, revealing it to be a mouth with a few sharp teeth. The mouth gave a tiny screech and with a rush, the air before him began flow into the symbol on his chest, before blowing on into the void beyond it. As the wind was devoured by the Gorem, the wounds on his chest began to fade, shrinking away until there was no sign that he had even been injured. His brow furrowed, Nord held up his foreshortened arm. He concentrated, directing the absorbed wind energy toward the severed arm. _Restore,_ He thought. And now the wind diverged from its path, coming to swirl around his forearm, quickly forming a tiny tornado. If anyone were to observe this phenomenon, they would see that the whirlwind thinning out at the end and splitting into five wavy fingers. Despite himself, Nord let out a small scream of pain as the wind became more and more distinctly hand-like and the neural pathways that had been previously severed reconnected to the new limb. Finally, the wind died down and he slumped, panting. The small mouth on his Negative Infinity sealed itself shut, becoming a thin black line once more, before the whole mark faded away. His regenerated hand hung limply at his side. While it was certainly solid, it was ghostly pale, though color began seeping into the flesh as new blood circulated through it. Nord could not suppress some small twitches in his fingers, which sent tiny stings up the rest of his arm as the hypersensitive nerves reacted to the touch of his sleeve.

_Didn't think I'd have to use that so soon,_ Nord thought grimly as he turned to head back inside, _but I'll be _damned_ if I'm gonna fight that kid again- or anyone else in this world, for that matter -with only one arm._ He did not bother to say anything to his two house-mates as he trudged back through the door, not acknowledging their stunned looks at his complete lack of injuries. He just flopped face first onto his futon, suddenly exhausted from the day's activities, and quickly fell asleep.

(Centerplane, Scattered Foundations)

Archer Lampe was usually not a cheerful person under normal circumstances. He felt that, as an embodying entity of lightning, good cheer was a waste of time, something that other, slower Gormim should concern themselves with. At the moment he was feeling particularly pissed off. The wad of liquid glass that Olivia had spat into his hair had turned into a heavy, smooth helmet and was driving him up the wall. For one thing, it itched like crazy, for some reason. Second, no matter how high he turned up the voltage, even going up to Level 4, the glass proved to be almost completely immune to his attempts to shock it off with electricity. Even partially transforming into lightning had no effect; in fact, it only seemed to make the itching worse. Finally, he admitted that he would just have to go see one of the more physically strong Gormim to break off the damn thing.

This soured his mood further, since he did not like to associate himself with the other houses if he could help it, apart from Olivia most of the time. Still, there was no helping it this time. With a grumble, he sprang from a cloud, catching a bolt of lightning and turning it so it pulled him, streaking out beyond the clouds of his region, across the surface of the Backdrop, past other regions of the Gormim, before finally reaching his destination: the mountains of the Gloma. He landed hard at a wide ledge on his feet, crouching, before standing up and going over to a cave opening in the mountainside. Upon walking past the entrance, he leaned forward and leaped, becoming a bolt of lightning and zipping down the stone pathway. He finally stopped as he came out in a cavernous room. Stoic person though he was, his breath caught in his chest as he saw the place: towering shelves full of boxes and various objects, stretching out as far as the eye could see. This was the main Archive of the Gormim, carved out of the inside of the mountain, and the storage place for every weapon, artifact, and general items of power that the dimension-travelling clan had collected over time. Even the Archive itself was collected, originally being a copied version of the mythical Warehouse 13, though it had long since been expanded. The storage was constantly catalogued, re-catalogued, checked and doubled-checked by the two Gloma who lived here, particularly by the artifact-nut of the Gormim, Mason Gloma. Archer could only hope that he did not run into the man; his obsession with inanimate objects could get a little disturbing at times. No, the person who the Lampe was hoping to find was altogether much calmer and was more likely to help him without much complaint.

Breathing out through his nose, Archer reached into his core, where the bound well of his power rested. **"Ionize,"** He murmured, **"Level 1: Flicker."** He shuddered for a moment as the bioelectricity produced by his brain increased. He closed his eyes, casting out with his senses. Activating the first level of his power allowed him to locate others by the unique electric signals they gave off. Almost immediately he located two living creatures within the bowels of the Archives. One which was moving about with a hint of agitation, had to be Mason. The other, which was slower and had a more sedate feel to it, was obviously the other member of the Gloma, Jenna.

Now knowing where to find the object of his search, Archer took off running. He would have just used lightning to travel, but Mason had a very strict 'No Power' rule down here. Something about the disturbances causing the more temperamental artifacts to go off. Either way, even Archer wasn't foolish enough to test Mason's policy of enforcement.

"Jenna!" He called, spotting her a ways down an aisle, "Hey, Jenna!"

Jenna Gloma was a short, slightly curvy girl with long black hair and dark, baggy clothes. At the shout she turned to see who was calling her. "Oh. Hello, Arch," She said lazily, waving back at him, "What brings you down here?" Then she saw the glass helmet. "Oh. You pissed off Olivia, didn't you. You look like a light bulb."

"Yes," Archer admitted sourly, "It itches like crazy and she seems to have made it immune to electricity. Think you can get it off?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," She replied, reaching into her pocket, "By the way, what'd you do to make her mad?"

Archer sighed. "Blair Souse came around looking for her and I might have tried to intimidate her into leaving."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Archer, what have I told you about playing nice with others?"

The lightning user bristled indignantly. "I do _not_ play," He snapped, "I am the lightning, I strike first and ask questions later."

"Right," The shorter girl drawled, looking less than impressed, "And I'm like the earth, I'm lazy and try to do as little as possible." With a quick motion, she pulled a small mace from her pocket and cracked Archer over the head with it, breaking the glass on his head into large pieces and knocking him on his ass. "And then I hit you over the head and break your windows." Slipping the silver handle back in her pocket, she got on her knees and began picking the chunks of glass out of Archer's hair while he groaned in pain.

"This was not what I had in mind for getting rid of it... Maybe I should have gone to Mason for this."

"Nah, he would've just scalped you to take this thing off in one piece," Jenna disagreed lazily, working her hands through his streaked hair, "He'd feel that this bit of glass is more important than your health."

Archer just shivered, then winced as his skull throbbed. Lethargic or not, that girl could hit _hard._

AN: Chapter 15 complete! At last! Sorry for taking so long, but my concentration hasn't exactly been the best and my inner muse only seems to become active late at night. Ah well, I'm finished now. I know this chapter's kinda all over the place, but I hope the content will satisfy you.

Anyway, here's the chapter summary/notes:

1. Blair seems to have a mild case of Astraphobia, the fear of thunder and lightning. Well, since she's a Water Elemental, that kinda makes sense.  
2. Introducing two more Gormim: Archer Lampe and Olivia Vetra. Archer has no sense of humor and Olivia is a relatively new addition to the clan. It's gonna be...interesting to write a fighting style for her. For those who have not guessed, Olivia's main element is Glass; basically, she can manipulate and mold glass as if it was clay, while it's perfectly solid to others. She can also breathe life into her creations. Also Archer is NOT related to the Archer from Fate/Stay night.  
3. Naruto has already learned tree-walking, so he goes to go learn water-walking. I'd think it's safe to say he's already got it down.  
4. I'm not quite sure what I was smoking when I decided to give Naruto eyes on the back of his head. It must have been some good stuff, but it's still a problem: I don't smoke.  
5. I hope you like the little fight scene between Naruto and his clones. He's already started to do some shape-shifting, as well as combining powers.  
6. Okay, I need to explain those pills that Nord/Ga keeps using. Each one is basically a temporary, edible version of one of the forty-two powers of the Kraata from Bionicle. Eating one causes the user's chakra to become a special type which causes varying effects. For instance, the reason Naruto got so pissed so easily was because Nord used a pill that causes anger and focused it on Naruto, using the fact that his headband had been stolen as a catalyst.  
7. I think Nord came away from this chapter with a valuable lesson: never piss off a Jinchuuriki that happens to be a Blacklight.  
8. A little more background on Alex's life in this world. Kurenai and Alex didn't really like each other that much.  
9. Nord is not aware that Alex is inside of Naruto. Therefore, Naruto's knowledge of the Gormim's existence is rather scary for him.  
10. The 'Devouring Infinity' thing is one of the many properties of the Negative Infinity. It allows a Gorem to heal all their wounds by absorbing their element. For the Gormim with solid elements, like metal or stone, they just absorb energy from the substance.  
11. Yes, Zabuza was the one who hired Ga to help him, not Gato. Why? Who knows how that man thinks.  
12. And we round off the chapter by introducing another Gorem: Jenna Gloma. Sorry, we won't be meeting Mason for another while, but Jenna's much nicer so it all works out.  
13. Oh, one last thing! A Drat is a mythical creature that resembles 2-3 snakes fused together in the middle, so it has multiple heads and a matching number of heads.

Jenna: ZZZ...

Me: ...And lazier...

Jenna: ...And better looking.

Me: Well, can't argue with that. Alright folks, that's it for chapter 15! Be sure to leave a nice review on your way out.

North South out.


	16. Chapter 16

*Len walks past and stops, blinking.* "Oh, hi there. You must be the audience. I bet some of you are wondering why I've shown up, right?" *Starts pacing,* "Well, our lord and master, North South, has decided (and rightly so) that his chapter-opening skills kinda suck. So, it's fallen to me to tell you, in my own glorious fashion," *Smirk,* "That you're lookin' at chapter 16 of COG: NOT. In this one, we've gotta deal with that whiny little-"

*A flying book nails Len in the side of the head and makes him stagger. Storia strides on-stage, a silver cane in hand.* "Len! What have I told you about spoilers? You could have given away the whole chapter, you fool!"

Len: Hmph, I'm not a fool. I'm an idiot!

Storia: *Deadpans.* Trust me, that's not much of a revelation. *Pokes Len in the side with his cane,* Now get off the stage, idiot. We need to get on with the story.

Len: Yes sir.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own the dysfunctional duo above.

"Speech"  
/Translation\  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**_  
Thoughts/outer being to inner_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Jutsu/Technique/Empowered command**

Chapter 16: High tempers, knowledge of suffering, meetings, memories, and changing hands

As the week dragged on, so did the Genin's training. One day, Naruto just decided set up a pair bunshin at the clearing where the others trained in tree-walking; the theory being that, if they all mastered the exercise, they could just ask one clone to take them to where the real Naruto was supposedly practicing his water-walking. The second clone would then dispel, giving Naruto a heads-up so he could stop his Blacklight training. No need to have them walk in on him while he was doing things that he didn't want to explain. This system, unfortunately, did not really go into effect until a few days later. When the other Genin were finally deemed by the Jonin-senseis to have mastered the technique, the Bunshin led the teenagers away while Kurenai and Kakashi went to go guard Tazuna at the bridge-site.

Naruto was pacing back and forth on the water's surface when they arrived at the lake. He glanced up as he heard them getting close. "Bout time you got here. Been waiting fifteen minutes here."

The others just grumbled at him as the Bunshin shrugged and said, "What can I say, boss? One tree looks like all the others 'round here."

"No they don't, baka!" Sakura snapped, whacking the clone on the back of the head. In doing so, she accidentally hit it in the rear eyes, causing it to yelp with pain before vanishing.

Naruto gave a small wince as the clone's memories of being hit returned to him. _Maybe I should hide these,_ he thought, _and only use them when I need them._ As he thought this, he felt an abnormal shifting at the back of his head, where his eyes were shrinking away to nothing. A few seconds later, they were gone, though he knew he could call them back at any time.

"Perhaps you could instruct us on how to water-walk, Naruto-san," Shino spoke up, "Our senseis merely told us to stand on the surface of the water using chakra. Since you have apparently gotten the hang of it, would you please give us advice?"

Naruto just shrugged and nodded.

Kiba snorted. "The dobe give us advice? Yeah, right. Like what, 'don't get wet?'" He asked sarcastically.

"No, I would have thought that was redundant," Naruto returned with a straight face, "Though if you feel it worth stating, fine. Don't get wet." He glanced at the other Genin while Kiba fumed. "Any of you guys wanna get in on this, or do you want to try and get it on your own?" Quickly, they all accepted the offer, Sasuke a little unwillingly. "Okay," He began, "What you want to do is to create a layer of chakra on the soles of your feet, similar to tree-walking. The trick, however, is to make the chakra layer into a sort of circle, so it's larger all around your foot, like a sort of chakra lily pad. You have to make sure to make the pad thick enough that there are no holes in it, so the water can't get through, but not make the circles too big. If you do, the two of them will interfere with each other and...well, you get the idea."

The water at his feet churned and rippled violently, though he didn't move. Shino, Hinata, and Sakura all nodded in understanding. Sasuke just grunted sourly, while Kiba tried, with little success, not to look as clueless as he felt. Pardon, as clueless as he _was._ Hell, even Akamaru understood the blond's instructions and yapped excitedly.

"Got all that?" Naruto asked, looking around at them, "Alright then! Let's see how you do." He strode back onto land, motioning for the other Genin to get on the water in his stead. They eagerly did so.

He turned and watched with great amusement as his fellows tried to stand on the shoreline, only to fall in the water with a great splash. A couple of them managed to even stay afloat for a second before plunging down with a squawk (Yes, even Shino). With a chuckle and a sigh, Naruto sat down and closed his eyes. Perhaps a nice sleep was in order...

[One hour later]

Kiba cursed loudly as he fell in once more. The damn chakra wasn't doing what he wanted at all! He growled as he crawled, dripping, back onto the shore. The dobe must've given him bad advice. Yeah that must be it-

"Ah! I think I've got it," Hinata called. Indeed, she had already managed to stand, albeit shakily, on top of the shoreline.

"What the hell?" Grumbled Kiba, his eyebrow twitching, "Oh, come on! If even Hinata can do it, why can't I?" Unfortunately, he didn't bother to keep his voice down enough.

"Excuse me?" Hinata said, spinning around indignantly, "What's that supposed to mean? Am I supposed to be some standard for your mediocrity?" She stalked toward, looking furious. She got right up to Kiba's face and _growled_. Kiba was taken aback. What he didn't know was that Hinata had asked Naruto for an infusion of biomass. He had eventually given in and dosed her, inadvertently decreasing her hold on her aggression. "Kiba, I've had to put up with your attitude since we became a team and I'm _really_ getting sick of it. So help me, if I have to hear one more comment about how 'inferior' I am, I will give you a Jyuuken strike to your-"

"What makes you think you can?" Kiba snapped, regrouping, "In case you've forgotten, _I'm_ the Alpha of this team, and you've been getting real uppity lately. That and you're always hanging around the dobe like some kind of lost kitten! It makes me sick!"

"What're you going to do about it? 'Assert your dominance?'" Hinata snarled back sarcastically.

"Maybe I will-"

"What's going on?" Both Kiba and Hinata blinked and looked around. Naruto was standing with a slight slouch next to them, looking decidedly un-amused at having his nap interrupted.

Hinata wilted slightly, suddenly ashamed. She realized that she'd lost control of herself again from the biomass and felt guilty for having bothered Naruto-kun.

Kiba, on the other hand, scoffed and looked away. "Back off, dobe. There's a bitch that needs to be disciplined."

Naruto's sleepy, mismatched eyes moved to Kiba for a moment. Then they flashed green as he realized what the dog boy was talking about.

*Crash!*

Everybody in the vicinity flinched as Kiba was promptly planted in the dirt with a single punch, courtesy of Naruto. "There," he grunted sourly, "Bitch disciplined."

Akamaru shook his head in exasperation. /What an idiot,\ he woofed. Obviously, no one understood him.

[Several hours later]

After that little bit of brainlessness from Kiba, the others tried to master their water-walking quickly, mostly so they'd have a method of escape in case Naruto turned his harsh temper on them too. Oddly enough, this helped a great deal. Hinata meekly stayed by Naruto, showing him the progress she'd made. After a mere few hours, she had managed to take a few tentative steps across the surface of the water, though they were a bit wobbly. Smiling, he told her encouragingly that she was really good, drawing a blush from the shy heiress. At this point, however, while Naruto had been able to stand on the lake's surface the entire time and not even be winded, the Genin with less chakra than him were exhausted. Sakura had given up entirely and flopped onto the ground, panting. Sasuke did not want to stop, but could barely stand on solid ground, let alone on the water. Shino…looked just the same. It was hard to tell if he was tired or not.

"Well, looks like you guys are working hard," Said Kakashi, walking up to them, "Have any of you managed to walk on the water yet?"

"I…I've got it, sensei," Wheezed Sakura, raising her hand from where she lay.

"I have also managed to walk on the water's surface, Kakashi-sensei," Shino added dutifully, "Naruto-san was kind enough to give us advice on how to perform the exercise, since he has already mastered it. However, it will take some time for us to become proficient."

Sasuke merely grunted, "Hn." Figures.

Kakashi rubbed his chin musingly before shrugging. "Well, if that's all, you'd better wrap it up for the day. Tsunami-san sent me to bring you back for dinner."

All of the Genin brightened at the mention of Tsunami's cooking. Naruto in particular was excited at the prospect of the meal; while he was nowhere near as tired as the others, there was no denying that he was as, if not more hungry. They set off, following the gray-haired Jonin in eager anticipation.

However, while the food was delicious, the atmosphere of the dinner was slightly dampened by the ever-present sulk of Inari. The kid was really in top form tonight, topping even Sasuke in the brood department. He glared at the exhausted but happy Genin, growing seemingly angrier with them with each passing minute. Naruto seemed not to notice, still determinedly eating. Finally, however, he glanced up at Inari. "Well, spit it out," He said matter-of-factly, "I can tell that whatever diatribe you have waiting is doing you no good while you're just glaring at us. So, out with it."

This, it seemed, was the last straw for the boy. "Why do you do it?" He burst out, everyone starting in surprise, "All of you keep training and fighting and you end up so tired every _day!_ But it won't do you any good! No matter what you do, Gato will still kill you! He's too strong!"

"Inari!" Exclaimed Tsunami in shock.

Naruto just snorted, going back to his food, "Gato isn't strong," He replied, "All he is, is a bully with some extra cash to hire people with. You take away the goons, Gato's nothing."

"Like you're one to talk!" Inari yelled spitefully, "_You_ never even look like you train at all, and you keep picking on that guy with the dog!"

Kiba's eye twitched at being referred to as just 'the guy with the dog,' but said nothing.

"You say Gato is just a bully, but you act like one too! It's because of people like you that we're suffering here!" The calmly amused look slipped from Naruto's face at this. Still Inari ranted on, his voice rising, "How do you think it feels, you bastard? How do you think it feels to be picked on by someone who just wants to make you suffer?"

Silence. That's what happened. What followed the echo of those shouts was a silence so dense, cold, and menacing, Inari instantly knew he'd gone way too far. Hinata's lovely face paled almost to white and she put her hands to her mouth in horror. Kiba gulped and tried not to fidget and draw attention to himself. Shino did a quick diagnostic of his colonies to make sure the kikai hadn't just died of fright right then and there. Sakura fainted. Kakashi and Kurenai both wondered for a second if the Shinigami himself had chosen that exact moment to manifest himself in the space Naruto was occupying.

Naruto stared at Inari. He stared and stared and _stared_. His eyes had long since gone past green and had turned scarlet from rage, the crosses of his pupils narrowed to the thinnest of slits. And Inari sat there, pinned in place. Not by killing intent, for there was none. No, it was the fact that those red eyes burned into his, showing him _just_ how angry the blond boy was. Naruto was perfectly still, as if carved from stone, his own face white.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, he moved. It was so sudden that everyone jumped; Naruto slowly, ever so slowly, set down the knife and fork he'd been using. Seeing the bent and splintered state of the handles, Tazuna wondered just how close the boy had been to using them on his grandson.

Then he stood with equal slowness. When finally reached his full height, Naruto opened his mouth. Blood trickled from where he'd bitten his lip, his teeth having turned razor sharp. "'How do you think it feels..?'" The question was soft, but the red of his eyes told the others that the danger was still present. "I don't need to 'think' about how it feels, you fucking brat. I lived through it. I have gone through it every year of my fucking life." Then he turned and strode from the room.

Everyone unfroze, slumping in their seats. Sasuke was breathing hard, his eyes wild. Akamaru ran over to Hinata and jumped in her lap, whimpering (Kiba tried to follow and was quickly rebuffed). Inari stood up as well and stumbled blindly out of the room. Kurenai was shaken, not entirely sure what had just happened.

Hinata clenched a fist in front of her, ashamed of her powerlessness. She wanted to follow after Naruto, to comfort him and tell him things would be alright. But she didn't. She couldn't. She was just too weak to follow him. Worst of all, she knew what he was feeling, what he had gone through. She hung her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Naruto-kun," She whispered sadly.

(Outside)

*Smash!*

*Crash!*

*BOOM!*

Naruto was currently venting his rage. Before his swinging fists, tree were splintering, bark giving way before his Blacklight-enhanced strength. Jagged shards of wood stabbed deep into his skin, only to be rejected and healed even as he pulled his fist back. "How dare he?" He snarled to himself, walking over to another tree as the previous one keeled over sideways, "How dare he!"

*Crunch!* He punched a hole in the trunk and ripped out a large chunk, which he carelessly tossed aside. _How dare that little shit accuse me of not knowing…of not suffering! I'd trade my life for his in a heartbeat. At least he still has someone who loves him! _He growled and lashed out again, but this time his fist only bumped half-heartedly against the tree. "Damnit. Why did they have to die?" He asked, deflating, "And what would they say if they could see what I'm doing?"

_They died to do their duty, as Shinobi of Konohagakure,_ Alex said solemnly, _They would be sad if they saw their son as he is now, alone and abandoned by the village they gave their lives for. But they would also be proud. Proud to see how you have managed to survive, how you _never gave up._ Both Minato and Kushina would be proud to call you their son and legacy, Naruto Uzumaki. They were my friends and teammates, and they would support you, even now when you're being such an angsty teen._

Naruto blinked. _Wow...That was...that was incredible, Alex. Thank you; I really needed that._ There was a pause, _I _am_ being a bratty teenager though, aren't I?_

_Yeah. Kinda._

Naruto rolled his eyes before glancing at his tree. He winced at the damage he had done and stepped over to it. He put his arms around the trunk and gave it a quick hug. "Sorry, tree," He said. Then he deadpanned. "Wait, what am I doing? Am I hugging a tree?" Sighing, he dropped his hands and leaned his forehead against the tree. "These have been some really weird last couple of days..." He muttered, closing his eyes. Suddenly he felt aware of just how tired he was after a long day. "...May they never end..." And with that, he fell asleep, standing upright against a tree.

[Next Morning]

Haku hummed cheerfully to herself as she strolled through the forest, a basket on one arm. After the previous night, Zabuza-sama's condition had improved greatly. She just needed to gather some more herbs for medicine and he might even be ready for action in another day or so!

She stopped at the clearing of herbs she used, shocked. The ground with the herbs was largely undisturbed, though one or two were slightly trampled. The trees, however, looked as if a bull had charged through them, followed by the world's largest woodpecker. Looking around at the devastation, Haku suddenly noticed a large, dull orange shape by one of the more intact trees. She blinked, then realized what it was. _It's that boy who gave both Zabuza-sama and Ga-san such trouble!_ Then she sweatdropped. _Why is he facing the tree? Doesn't he know what a dangerous position that is?_ Then Haku heard a faint snoring and nearly face-faulted. The odd boy was asleep on his feet, his forehead leaning against the trunk of the tree in front of him.

With a frown, a pair of senbon materialized between her slim fingers. It would not do to let this boy live, not after he had given, and probably would give them such trouble. No, it would be best if he died here, where no one would see her do the deed. Still it was a shame. There was something cute about the way he stooped, seemingly unashamed in his orange jacket and pants. Quietly, cautiously, she approached Naruto from behind. With one hand poised to strike the needles into his neck, she reached out with the other to tug down his hood and get a better target. As the Genin's blond spikes were revealed, a pair of large, green eyes cracked open and blinked confusedly at her from the back of his head.

Haku jumped back, clapping a hand to her mouth to smother a startled shriek. The needles she had formed fell to the ground, quickly getting lost in the grass and dirt, apparently unnoticed by the boy.

Naruto turned, blinking sleepily at the girl who had woken him up. "Can I help you?" He asked, rubbing at his eyes while pulling his hood back up. Haku stood frozen for a moment, wondering what to do, before realizing that he must not have seen anything suspicious about her.

"Ah, um, no, sorry," She said awkwardly, "It's just that, um, I've never seen someone sleep standing up before."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I was standing up? Really? I would have thought that I would've fallen over." Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm being kinda rude." He held out a hand, smiling. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?"

Haku twitched in surprise before tentatively taking a hold of the hand. "H-Haku. My name is Haku."

"Haku..." Murmured Naruto. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing a bit, though he still smiled, studying the girl before him. She was tall, taller than him at least, with black hair down to her waist, large brown eyes and pale skin. She wore a modest pink kimono and sandals, along with a small, thin black band around her neck. He also noticed that she was quite pretty. All in all, she gave off a feeling of kind gentleness, though she seemed rather nervous towards him. Still, there was something _off_ about her. He couldn't name it exactly, but there was something recognizable that he was seeing. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and yet... He shook his head and grinned. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing out here at this time in the morning?"

Haku blushed at the compliment. "I'm gathering herbs for a friend," She said, relaxing slightly, "He was hurt recently, but has been recovering. I need some herbs around here to make him some medicine and speed his recovery."

"Oh," Naruto said brightly, stepping forward, "Let me help you then. I don't exactly feel like going back to the house yet and need something to do."

The girl looked surprised for a moment, an expression that Naruto thought looked rather pleasant, before nodding, and they sat down to search for the right herbs. "Are you a Ninja, Naruto-san?" She asked at one point, "I couldn't help but notice your headband. Are you from Konoha?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I am. I've been training a lot and it's definitely paid off in the power department. You see the trees around here?"

"Yes. Was that you?" She asked. When Naruto told her that with a bit of pride that it was him, he caught the look of worry that flashed across her lovely face. "You do seem to be strong, Naruto-san," She said a few minutes later, "But would you say that you are _truly_ strong?"

Naruto paused and turned to her, holding a plant that he had just pulled from the ground. "Well, I don't think it would take anything less than 'true strength' to pull this thing." He held up the plant, grinning.

Despite herself, Haku giggled, drawing a slight blush from Naruto, and said, "That's a good point, but it's not what I meant. When I say true strength, I mean the power you gain in order to protect your precious person."

"Precious...person?" Naruto asked, the word sounding strange on his tongue.

"Yes. A person who means everything to you, whose life you would protect with your being. A person whose very existence gives you the strength to overcome anything."

As Haku's words resounded in Naruto's mind, so did something else; another pale face, lavender eyes full of worry, insecurity, and friendship; Hinata. Behind that was the old Hokage, Iruka-sensei, the Ichirakus, Alex and Kina. "Yes," He breathed, leaning back, his eyes wide, "Yes. I see what you mean. It's for them. It's always been for them... Thank you, Haku-chan," He said suddenly.

Surprised by the suffix, as well as the sudden staring, Haku blushed again before standing up. "I-I'm glad you understand what I'm saying, Naruto-kun," She said haltingly, though her blush deepened as she used the more familiar honorific herself, "You fight for your precious people, just as I fight for mine." She stood up, not even realizing what she had said that time. "Good day, Naruto-ku-san," She corrected herself, before walking away.

Naruto continued to stare after her, but not in wonder. No, that emotion had given way to a stab of suspicion. Details of their conversation, not even fifteen minutes past, were starting to fall together.

For one thing, the fact that she had identified him as being from Konoha was odd. According to Alex, most civilians couldn't tell which ninja was from which village by their headband. That meant she was obviously a Shinobi herself.

For another, she had said that she was gathering herbs for a friend. A friend who had been injured a few days ago but was recovering. This could be Zabuza.

Then there was her belief in precious people. She had let slip that she would 'fight' for her precious person. She did not seem to have even noticed that slip. That would at least partially explain her motive for her actions.

And of course, there were those senbon she had been holding when she pulled down his hood. Only her surprise and his acting like he hadn't noticed had prevented a fight from breaking out.

Finally, there was that strange, familiar, _off_ sensation that he had felt from her. With a jolt, he realized with absolute certainty what it was. He could sense a trace of Blacklight circulating throughout her body. Wondering how that had happened, Naruto remembered the hunter-nin's appearance when they had first encountered her. The tiny crack in the face-mask could certainly have been caused by that bio-spike that he'd thrown before that...and it would certainly explain how she could have been infected with the virus, even if only a little.

"Aha," He said to himself, "So, what do I do about it?" There was a tug on his pant leg and he looked down. The black cat form of Mido was looking up at him, wide-eyed. Dangling from his mouth were some dark hairs. "Are those Haku-chan's hairs?" He asked.

They were.

"How did you manage to get those without either of us noticing?"

Mido did not answer.

"Ah well," Naruto sighed, taking the hairs from the cat's mouth. As he held them draped across his palm, he asked Alex, _Now what?_

_Now, presumably, you consume them for memories,_ Said Alex seriously.

Before Naruto could ask how the hell he was supposed to do that, the hair in his hand began to evaporate, transforming into black wisps of smoke. When he opened his mouth in surprise, there was a gust of wind and the smoke was sucked directly and entirely into his mouth. Naruto hacked and coughed reflexively, though the vaporous biomass had already gone down his throat. "What the hell-?" He stiffened, then slumped where he was sitting, his vision going dark.

Kina turned to Alex as a rumbling shook the sealing chamber. "What's going on?" She asked. The lights were beginning to dim and flicker.

"The curse of Blacklights," Alex said sadly, "When one consumes another person, or a part of them, not only does he take on that person's skills and appearance, he also experiences their life up that point."

[Biographical Memory: Haku]

_...The old days..._

_Haku was playing happily in the snow. Suddenly, a small patch of snow melted beneath her hand, the water flowing into the air as a blob. Haku gasped in awe. "Look, Kaa-chan!" She cried happily, "Look what I can do!"_

_"What is it, Haku-chan?" Her mother asked, coming around the corner. When she saw the little ball of water, her eyes widened and she dropped the basket she was carrying._

_Haku's head jerked to the side as her mother slapped her, causing the water to fall back to the ground. "Don't you ever do that again!" She said, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Understand, Haku? Never!"_

_Even as Haku's eyes filled with stunned tears, she saw how afraid her mother looked, though she didn't understand why. Scared, she nodded, the tears spilling down her cheeks, afraid of whatever it was that her mother was afraid._

_However, her father had seen her. She had performed a bloodline technique, in a time where bloodlines were persecuted, their owners ostracized and killed..._

_...The Bloodline Massacre..._

_Haku screamed as her mother fell to the floor, blood spilling from around the knife planted in her chest. Over her stood her father, his face stony. Behind him was a mob, all armed with weapons and tools to kill the 'demon.' "No! S-stay away!" She cried._

_Still they came on, forcing her to retreat until they had her cornered. She crawled backwards into the wall, shrinking away from the weapons the swung experimentally. There were angry mutterings, but she didn't know what they were saying. She didn't know why they had turned on her. She didn't know why her father looked so sad as he raised the knife. She closed her eyes and screamed as the blade descended. "NO!"_

_There was a crackle of ice, the splintering of wood. Cries of surprise and horror._

_Discontinuity._

…_the stranger…_

_Haku became aware again. She was being carried over the ground by someone. When she moved, the stranger set her down in the snow. She flinched and moved away from him, remembering the mob. "W-where are we? Where's my…?" She asked tremulously. But even as she turned to look back, the man put a hand on her head and turned her firmly forward._

"_No," He said. That was all. Somehow, she knew what he meant. He didn't want her to see what he (or was it herself?) had done to her home._

_There was nothing to do but keep moving. So they walked, with no apparent destination in mind. Sometimes she would sneak a peek at his face from under her hair, but it was always the same. His single eye pierced through her whenever he looked back at her, cold, impassive, blue. His white hair was often full of wet snow, which he was forever brushing off with a curse. She often wondered how the snow got there, when there was no blizzard. She didn't ask, though. It seemed rude._

_So they kept going, with the stranger providing Haku with food and clothing, never explaining how he had gotten either. When she finally got the courage to ask him why he had saved her, his hand clenched on the sword he always carried. "How could I not?" He asked coldly, "I will not stand by and let them kill an innocent girl, just to satisfy the ravings of a mere puppet."_

…_abandonment…_

_One day, however, he vanished. She woke up and he was gone; not even a footprint was there. So she kept going on her own, cold and lonely. All the while, she kept wondering, _where did he go? Why did he leave me?_ There were no answers, so in time she stopped asking._

_In time, she became convinced that the stranger had left her because she was of no use to him. Yes, that must be it. She was useless, so she was cast aside._

_One day, she found herself by a bridge, wondering where to go now. She looked up to see a man watching her from the road. He too had a sword, though it was much different. As she laid eyes on him, Haku thought she heard a voice, telling her that this was her savior, that she should go with him. She did not know why, but she knew she could not disobey. So she went with him._

…_useful tool…_

_Zabuza-sama, at first, had been irritated by her persistence. He was on the run for trying to assassinate the Mizukage, the one who had started the Bloodline Purge in the first place. However, when she finally managed to show him her ability for Hyoton Ninjutsu, however, he quickly changed his tune and started training her. He taught her Suiton himself and stole scrolls for Fuuton, after which she created her own Hyoton techniques. So far, though the only original jutsus she had mastered were the Sensatsu Suisho and the Makyo Hyosho..._

[End Biographical Memory]

Naruto sat up, gasping. He was cold with sweat and for a moment his eyes wandered sightlessly. Forget failing the Genin Exam, that had easily been the worst thing he had ever felt in his life. No, worse, it was the worst thing he'd ever felt in _her_ life. Then he registered that someone was shaking his shoulder. "Naruto-kun?" Asked the person, "Are you alright?"

"Wha..?" Naruto's eyes finally settled on the worried face of Hinata. He was aware of his mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out. Finally, he just shut his mouth and nodded.

Hinata did not look convinced, but helped her friend to his feet. "Come on," She said gently, "Y-you'll catch a cold staying out here so long and the others are g-getting worried."

Despite himself, Naruto snorted weakly as they began walking back through the trees. "Nice try, Hina-chan, but I don't think anyone but you would be worrying about me. They don't l-like me." He was surprised and a little mortified to hear a small tremble in his voice.

"D-don't say that!" Hinata said, shocked, "Shino-kun likes you, and I heard Kakashi admit to Kurenai that he liked you! And I..." She trailed off, blushing. Then she looked Naruto in the eye and was distracted from what she next meant to say. "N-Naruto? What's wrong?"

"What?" Naruto blinked in surprise, "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Hinata stopped walking and said in a small, quiet voice, "Then why are you crying?"

He stopped to look back at her. "What?" He asked again. This time there was a catch in his voice and he put a hand to his face. To his horror, he felt the cold wetness on his cheeks that signified tears. "Oh," He said tremulously, "I'm crying. Why is that? I-I haven't c-cried in years."

Hinata remembered Naruto's last Genin Exam, but thought that now was _not_ a good time to bring that up. Aside from the tears, the blond boy had an expression of such confusion and loss that her heart went out to him. She silently put her arms around him and hugged him, patting his back. "I don't know what it is, Naruto-kun," She murmured, "But I'm here. Don't forget that, okay?"

For a moment, Naruto's shoulders shook silently as more tears poured from his mismatched eyes. Then he closed his eyes and shakily returned the hug. "Thank you, Hinata," He said, putting as much sincerity as he could into his words, "Y-you really are a great friend."

(Centerplane, Binary Compound)

William Terme stalked cautiously through the black and green halls, his eyes shifting back and forth suspiciously. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Binarius, it was just that he didn't want to stumble across a rouge trap or robot, in his condition. He paused as he came level with a mirror, giving himself a once-over.

He had to admit that he looked rather good, all things considering. His red hair was flecked with a few spots of orange and was cut short enough to resemble low flames. His pale yellow eyes possessed a proud, crafty look to them, with the edges blurring into blue. The sight of his arms, however, sent an unpleasant shudder down his spine. Though most of what he could see was well muscled and toned from all the fighting and exercise he'd done, from the middle of his forearms onward was a different story.

William Terme was missing his hands. In his past life, they had had to be severed from his body in order for him to live. In return he was given a pair of fully functional, mechanical hands. However, due to the pyrokinetic nature of William's powers, they did not usually stay 'fully functional' for long. Now the metal was twisted and blackened, the joints of the fingers swollen and stiff from heat damage.

He sighed and kept walking. _Yep,_ he thought dismally, _definitely time for a replacement._ This was, of course, the reason that he was here to see Carlos.

Finally, he reached the door marking Carlos's room and knocked. "Come in," Called a voice.

Carlos Binarius looked around as William walked in. He took one look at the guilty expression on the Fire Elemental's face and the twisted, blackened metal of his hands and sighed. "That time already?" He asked. With a few mental commands, the room flickered, becoming brightly lit with a bench, a table, and tool tray, along with a rack of parts on one wall. He motioned at the chair. "Sit down, Will. Might as well get this over with."

"Nice to see you too, Carlos. Yeah, these have pretty much kicked the bucket." William agreed. He sat down in the chair, laying his charred hands on the table. "The usual, please."

Carlos's eye twitched. "Don't make me sound like a damn fast-food restaurant," He groused, putting on his glasses and leaning over the limbs in question, "Makes you sound like Len." He picked up a pair of magnetic clamps and swiftly pinned the hands to the table, ensuring that they wouldn't move around and disrupt his work. Then he picked up another set of tools and got to work.

"Yeah, well," William said quickly, trying to take his mind off of the mutilation being done to his prosthetic limbs, "I'd rather sound like Len than Mason."

"Not difficult," Carlos agreed, slicing through the outer plating, "Mason barely even talks when he's in a good mood. Remind me again why we have him on board? I'm pretty sure I can archive things much better than he can."

William gave a bitter laugh. "In terms of weapons, maybe; but he can definitely find a place for the most miscellaneous of items, and trust me, that warehouse would drive a computer man like you nuts. Besides that, he's probably the most physically powerful of all of us, barring a Blacklight at increased strength."

The green-haired man bit the inside of his cheek as he extended tiny hooks into the arms, carefully disconnecting damaged circuits. "I know the Gloma have strength woven into their being, but is he really that strong?"

William sighed almost pityingly. "Come on, Carlos, where's that memory and intelligence you're known for?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little occupied and this is a delicate operation."

The red-head kept talking. "You remember what happened one life ago, right?"

Carlos's glasses fell off and landed on the tools, jolting his hands and drawing a yelp from his patient as the insides of his hands were badly scored, several wires cut through. "Damn it!" Cursed the techno man, "Well, there's not gonna be any salvaging for these, I can tell." With a sigh, he replaced the tools on the tray and, with a tug, pulled the ruined hands out of their metal sockets. He examined them more closely, noticing how the edges of the joints had even started to melt and fuse. "I don't remember very much, not of that life. I wasn't on the front lines." Then he fixed the Fire Gorem with a piercing green eye. "I know that you, Mason, Colt and Nord all went Inverted, though. Gave Sophie and the others a hell of a time, from what I heard."

William eyed his friend nervously. "Well, if you know that he went Inverted, you'll probably have heard how much of a bastard he was on the battle field. Piss him off and you got thrown into—and I mean _into_—a mountain. He might be kinda anal at times, but he's really an okay guy. If you get him mad…" He tried to make a gesture, only to grimace at his missing hands, "He's a really scary guy."

Carlos nodded mechanically. He was checking the structural design of the arms so he could design a new pair. However, the scanners built into his eyes couldn't make it out clearly enough due to too much interference from the metal's distortion. "I'm not giving you metal," He said suddenly, slapping his palms on the table impatiently.

"What?" William asked, lost, "Wait, why not?"

"Your flames damage metal too easily," Carlos said snappishly. He disliked having to explain his high-speed thought processes, "And we'd both prefer it if you had to replace your hands less often. So, I'm going to make you some new hands out of a heat-resistant substance."

The Terme quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Like what?"

Carlos smirked and a holographic communication array opened next to his head. "Sophie! Send down ten two-centimeter chips of flint, ten medium-small sized pieces of soap-stone, and obsidian. Lots of obsidian."

AN: Woot! At long last I'm done! Hallelujah!

Wow. This a pretty short, emotional chapter. Still, I'm rather proud of it, all things considered.

Alright, summary time:

1. Naruto can hide his rear eyes to prevent unnecessary harm coming to them. However, he can bring them back in an instant if need be.  
2. Kiba just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut, does he? Even Akamaru thinks he's an idiot.  
3. Yeah, so Hinata either becomes majorly high, turned on, or pissed off by biomass. Go figure.  
4. When Inari mouths off to Naruto, Naruto proves that he doesn't have to explode to scare the shit out of everyone. In some ways, cold anger is even scarier. Mind you, an explosively angry Blacklight is not something to be fucked with.  
5. Yes, you heard Alex correctly. He was teammates with Kushina and Minato back when they were teammates. Naruto seems to have not noticed, though.  
6. Ah yes, the famous 'Meeting Haku' scene. However, Naruto unnerves Haku so much that she doesn't even think to give him the usual 'I'm a guy' comment.  
7. As a cat, Mido can use the Blacklight invisibility technique. For him, it would probably be easy to sneak behind Haku and swipe a couple of hairs.  
8. I know you can't go through a person's entire life in Prototype, but come on! It's a video game! Of course you're not gonna get all the memories in it. This fic, however, is not a video game, so there are no such limits.  
9. Who do you think the stranger who helped Haku was? Why did she go with Zabuza?  
10. Naruto just went through Haku's childhood. It's bad enough to remember his own past, but to remember someone else's? That would upset anyone.  
11. Minor bit of NaruHina.  
12. New Gorem: William Terme. William is the older 'brother' of Fuoca, and a master of fire techniques. Due to his past, William possesses a pair of mechanical hands, which he often has to go to Carlos to replace.  
13. Carlos is mostly technological. He thinks at a much faster pace than most people.

Also, at the request of naruhina fan, I will be adding Koyuki to the Harem as a Ghiaccio. Also, in answer to your question: Gorem refers to a singular individual, Gormim is multiple.

I'd like to give a shout-out to Rixxel Strife for such great reviews. Thank you.

In other news, I have also started writing another fic, which has something to do with the fact that it took me a while to get this chapter out. Chapter 1 of that fic is almost done, so it'll probably be the next thing I put out.

So…that's it for this update. North South out.


	17. Chapter 17

*Storia creeps on stage with his silver cane* "Ah hello, readers. As you know, I am Storia Spellwright, Narrator and representative of NorthSouthGorem. It is with great pleasure that I inform you that this is Chapter 17 of COG: NOT." *Bows stiffly* "I shall try to chronicle it as best as I can. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do."

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
/Translation\  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_**  
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 17: The cave, Labyrinth of falsehood, evidence of one's courage, and a declaration of one's feelings

(Centerplane, outskirts of the Scattered Foundations)

Fuoca Terme was a very curious girl. Though she may have been older chronologically, she acted every bit of her physical eight years of age. Of course, she found it very frustrating that barely anyone could understand her, but that wasn't her problem. Italian wasn't that difficult to learn, in her opinion. At least she could talk to Blair.

Her red hair sparked as she regarded the phenomenon before her. Suspended in the chaos of the Backdrop was a ring of gray rock. The edges of it seemed to fade into the Chaos of the background, with little-to-no depth to it. However, on the inside was a cavern of pure blackness. Fuoca was intrigued. She had heard her older brother, William, mention a cave somewhere around here. According to him, a Gorem by the name of Morris Nocturne lived there. Now, Fuoca liked meeting people, other Gormim especially. She had never met this Morris before, but she intended to rectify this soon.

Biting her lip in concentration, Fuoca raised a hand to her scarlet hair and began running her fingers through it. Sparks showered from the incandescent locks, snagged in her fingers as she combed handfuls of them out. Finally, she clasped her hands in front of her. She closed her eyes and extended her will, kindling the seeds of flame into growth. A small fireball bloomed in her cupped hands, hovering above her palms. Fuoca nodded, satisfied, before walking into the black cave opening, holding her little fireball aloft.

The light of Fuoca's flame only illuminated several feet around her in all directions. Beyond that was a darkness that pressed against her, as if actively constraining the range of light she gave off like a solid barrier. She could barely even see the stone floor on which she walked. In fact, if Fuoca cared to take a closer look at the ground, she would have noticed tiny, worm-like shadows writhing at her feet, only to vanish back into the darkness as she passed.

As she kept walking, the light around her began to dim. Flinching in surprise, Fuoca focused some more, trying to make the flame brighter, but the light only grew less with each second, the fireball still burning. Finally, the sphere of light shrank until it reached no further than the fire itself, making for a very odd sight; a flame, seemingly suspended in darkness, for she could not even see her own hands.

"I must ask that you douse that," Whispered a voice somewhere to her left, "It does not belong here."

Fuoca let out a scream and jumped back, the fireball going out in her hands. She felt her back collide with something semi-solid, yet unyielding. "C-c-c-chi?" She asked nervously, "Chi sei?"

In the air high above her, a pair of tiny golden rings faded into view. They gave off a glow so faint it only illuminated themselves, but they gave the unmistakable impression of eyes, staring unblinkingly at her. "Who am I? Is that what you're asking?" The quiet, whispery voice asked, "I am Morris Nocturne. You are a Terme; that much is obvious by your burning hair and fireball. Why are you here? This place is not safe for those not of the shadows. Speak. You are within my domain, and thus will be understood."

Nervously, she explained to him that she had just been curious and wanted to meet him, after William had mentioned his name.

If Morris had a face, he would have raised an eyebrow. A child as young as this, venturing into the cavern for mere curiosity? It was quite a bold thing to do. His musings were interrupted by the girl struggling, trying to free herself from web of shadows that had somehow entangled itself around her. "…My apologies," He said, clearing the shadowy tendrils away from her, "My body sometimes does things of its own accord."

Fuoca was suddenly glad that she could not see. Those words did not paint a very pleasant picture of Morris's 'body,' whatever that meant.

"Perhaps it would be best if you left," Morris continued thoughtfully, "As I said, this is not a good place for fire. Staying here could be hazardous for your health."

Fuoca nodded fearfully, turned, and began to blindly grope her way along the tunnel wall. When she had left, a long, quiet sigh echoed through the stony space. The gold rings drifted off, their attention wandering in relief. Though the light of the girl's flame had been stifled by the darkness, Morris had still found it almost unbearably itchy to his essence. In his present state, fires and other sources of light caused him great physical discomfort. It did not help that that discomfort was the only physical thing he could even feel. It was all he could do to not just automatically digest the little Terme to get rid of her burning flames. But no. Storia had forbidden it. Probably not a good idea to do it, then.

Still, it was so hard not to, when she had so willingly walked into the literal belly of the beast…or the body, in this case.

For that was exactly what his natural state was. Morris Nocturne existed as a shadow with nobody to walk beside. He _was_ the darkness within that cavern, feeding off of light from the entrance. And Fuoca Terme would likely not forget her encounter for a while to come. Or maybe she would. Who knows, with small children?

(Naruto-verse, Nami no Kuni)

[The next day]

"Alright, you three," Kurenai said sternly to Shino, Sakura, and Kiba, "We're going out into the village to do some patrolling. We don't know when Zabuza or his accomplices will attack next, or where, so we'll start checking the village to see if there's anything out of the ordinary."

"Try not to draw too much attention to yourselves," Tazuna suggested from his chair, "If any of Gato's thugs take notice of any ninja around here, things could get ugly fast."

Kurenai nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," She said, "Come on, Shino, Kiba, Sakura-san." She marched out the door, followed a disgruntled trio of Genin.

Half an hour later found the four of them in the middle of town, appalled at what they saw. Gato had truly drained this country dry; all around them were people wearing rags, looking half-starved, some of them even forced to beg for food. While the Konoha Shinobi had already seen this scenario several times over the past week or so, it was no less horrifying to the Genin.

Kurenai gritted her teeth. She had already seen situations like this before back when she was a Chunin, in villages that had been beaten in previous wars, but it didn't make it any easier for her to bear. _We must protect Tazuna-san,_ she thought determinedly, _his bridge is the only hope for these people!_

"This is a sad place, is it not?" Asked a voice from behind them. All for Konoha-nin whirled around to see the green scarf-wearing Ga, standing at a relaxed pose a few feet from them. He waved cheerfully at them. "Yo!" He said.

Akamaru went on guard, growling while Kiba got in a fighting stance. Shino set his shoulders, a distant buzzing emitting from under his coat. Sakura looked uneasily between the Kurenai and Ga, unsure of what to do.

Kurenai drew a kunai cautiously. With this man here, there was no telling what tricks he might up to. "What do you want?" She asked guardedly.

"Ah, Kurenai-san, it wounds me to see such suspicion!" Ga sighed dramatically, "All I want is to make sure you cannot interfere with Zabuza-san's business. After all, eight on one is simply unfair. So, I'll be reducing those numbers by half."

"Ha! Fat chance, air-bag!" Kiba spoke up, making a hand-sign, **"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Four-legged Technique)** He crouched as his fingernails grew and sharpened, along with his teeth, giving him a more bestial appearance. Kiba growled in intimidation and charged.

Ga sighed, shaking his covered head as he sidestepped out of the way, making several one-handed seals. "Honestly, the manners of young people these days. **Fuuton: Renkudan."** The hired nin's fist came up, the air around it compressed and swirling with chakra, but he didn't fire the wind bullet. When Kiba turned and ran back at him, snarling in animalistic fury, Ga was waiting for him. The dog boy choked, coughing up blood as the wind-enhanced fist buried itself in his stomach.

However, even as Kiba soared away to hit the ground to the side, Ga heard a battle cry and felt a kunai flying through the air toward him from the pink-haired girl. "You'll have to do better than that!" He cried, spinning on one heel and bending sideways. As the knife flew over his side, his hand snaked out over his back, impossibly, and snagged it by the handle. He completed his spin and sprang back upright. Giving the kunai a short spin on his finger, he hurled it back at Sakura, who was forced to jump aside. However, even while the dagger left his hand, his other hand flicked open a fan. **"Fuuton: Renkudan!"** The air bullet spun out, striking Sakura in the forehead and knocking her off her feet.

Gritting her teeth while her students were systematically taken out, Kurenai was forming hand-seals. Kiba and Sakura had already been incapacitated, leaving only Akamaru and Shino. The Aburame had told her earlier that his Kikai would not go near the assassin as long as he could summon those fly-traps. With Ga blocking his own eyes, there was only one option that could help. **"Magen: Rakka Kyofu!" (Demonic Illusion: Fear of Falling)**

Although Ga could not technically see, he was still susceptible to Genjutsu. The ground at his feet trembled and then gave way, leaving him to fall, tumbling, through space. He cursed as he felt the wind rush past his hair, wind that he could not control.

Kurenai watched as Ga fell to the ground, flailing slightly. She took a shaky breath, holding her hand-sign. "Shino!" She snapped, "Now!"

Shino nodded and a swarm of bugs erupted from his coat, diving on the prone form of Ga. They immediately began draining his chakra, disrupting the flow enough to keep him from breaking the Genjutsu.

Ga struggled mightily and helplessly for a few moments before finally falling limp. The Kikaichu flew off, satisfied with the foreign chakra that they had consumed.

Kurenai sighed. She walked over to Kiba and shook him awake. "Huh, what?" The dog boy grumbled, sitting up.

"The fight's over," Kurenai said irritably, "We won. Now we just have to go warn Kakashi. If Zabuza sent Ga to distract us, they could be coming under attack."

"A rather brilliant deduction," Ga said slyly. Kurenai stiffened as she felt a thin arm drape itself over her shoulder, "But I think you've left out an important detail."

Kurenai whirled around, making a broad swipe with a kunai. There was no one there. Even the prone body was gone from where it lay. Kurenai dropped into a crouch again, turning slowly on her heel and surveying the surroundings suspiciously, cursing herself all the while. However, at one moment, she blinked and he was standing right in front of her. His scarf had come undone, exposing his wide gray eyes. "Genjutsu!" She growled angrily. She brought her hands up to make the ram sign, but Ga darted across the space between them and grabbed her wrists.

"Nah-ah!" He grinned mischievously, "You're not getting out of this one that easily."

The three Genin, who had managed to regain their wits at this time, ran to stand in a circle around the two Jonin with a kunai. "How long have you had us under a Genjutsu?" Kurenai asked tightly.

"Since you hit me with that Rakka Kyofu," He replied easily, "It's quite easy to set up your own illusion when under cover of another one. None of you even sensed me casting it, did you?"

Shino broke in. "That cannot be. My Kikaichu should have made it impossible for you to mold chakra and produce Ninjutsu, let alone Genjutsu."

Ga only grinned wider. "True," He said, "I did not have the opportunity to use a jutsu. So I went without one."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura yelled, "That doesn't make sense!"

"Yeah!" Kiba agreed aggressively, "You won't fool us! And if you use a jutsu now, we'll kill you where you stand."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed at Kiba's foolish comment. As if he could willingly kill someone.

Ga just chuckled. "I won't fool you, you say? That is true; I won't. I _will_ not trick you...because I already have."

The red-eyed Jonin gasped as her adversary began to melt, a warm, green putty drooping into her and running over her hands. "What-?" She asked in astonishment.

**"Jigen'na Sakkaku:"** Boomed the voice of Ga from out of nowhere. The Konoha-nin looked around in panic as the world around them began to melt, the colors blurring downwards, leaving behind blank brown stone, **"Uso no Meiro..." (Dimensional Illusion: Labyrinth of Falsehood)** They were standing in a tall, dank hallway, with torches placed every dozen feet or so. One direction led to a dead end, the other turned a sharp right. The hallway also branched off in several places, leading down yet more halls. They were trapped in a giant maze.

Akamaru barked and ran in circles, sniffing the ground. After a moment he looked up at Kiba and whined. "Akamaru says he can't smell that bastard anywhere," He reported.

Shino stood still as his insects buzzed over the walls and through the air. "My friends detect no sign of any chakra in the surroundings. It does not appear to be a Genjutsu."

"What?" Kurenai asked snappishly, still flustered over what had just happened, "No...don't be too sure, Shino. A really good Genjutsu expert can make an illusion nearly undetectable using the barest traces of chakra. I'm guessing he's a real pro at this. Keep searching, he's bound to have left something as a clue."

Ga's voice suddenly broke out from thin air. "I am pleased that you think so highly of my skills, Kurenai-san. Not many can appreciate the amount of control and imagination it takes to create an illusion the way you do." Then his voice lowered sinisterly, "However, the only way you will leave is at my own discretion, no sooner or later."

"Still nothing, sensei," Shino murmured.

"Nor will you find anything, young Aburame," Ga replied, having easily heard him, "This maze was created to be as real as any other. Excepting, of course, the lack of an exit."

"How are you doing this?" Sakura cried desperately. She was running her hands along the walls, trying to deny that it was actual stone that she felt, "No Genjutsu can just create an environment like this, let alone one as detailed!"

There was a disdainful snort. "Hmph. Looks like you've got a brain after all, pinky. But as I said, I did not use a jutsu to create this."

"What did you use, then?" Kurenai asked.

"Ah," There was a note of gloating pleasure, "Yes. You see, I possess an ability, a bloodline I believe it's called. It allows me to make powerful illusions straight from my mind, without the use of chakra. Do you want to know why you cannot escape from this maze? It is because reality is nine tenths perception. When I use my power to make your nine tenths all agree on something, they override that last tenth and alter your very reality. But because your reality is different from the old one, the universe had to split it off so as not to be confused. Therefore, you four are now stuck inside a dimension that is separate from mine. You are true people living inside a lie, a falsehood, a dream!"

A horrified silence followed this description. Sakura had turned white with fear. Shino was on the verge of the breakdown, seeing as how that lecture had completely and brutally defied all logic. Kiba had no clue what the enemy was talking about, while Kurenai suddenly felt very, very small. She felt as if she were a Genin again, facing down Alex-sensei once more; as if an insurmountable wall had just been placed in front of her. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that such a power existed. Before this obvious master of deception, she felt like a novice of Genjutsu.

"Bye!"

Ga snickered to himself as he heard the screams of his victims. With a burst of laughter, he broke the mental link to the maze. He smiled admiringly at where the Konoha-nin had been standing before; now there was only an empty road.

Whistling, he turned and walked away. He ignored the stares he got from the impoverished villagers; he still had half of a job to do.

(Elsewhere)

Zabuza and Haku stood on the supports under the bridge. Zabuza was experimentally swinging his sword, both out of boredom and to test and see if his power was back at full. The plan was that, after taking out half of their numbers, Ga would make sure to lure the other Konoha-nin to the bridge, where Zabuza and Haku would ambush and kill them. Personally, Haku felt slightly averse to using such underhanded tactics, but Zabuza-sama had come up with the plan, so it was not her place to question it. Still, she felt a slight pang of regret when she thought of that odd young man in orange. As unsettling as he had been, she had enjoyed talking with him and actually found herself a little sad that they would have to kill him. She swiftly shut away that little part of her heart; Zabuza-sama had told her to kill them, and she would obey. That voice, long ago, had told her to.

She frowned as she slipped on the Hunter-nin mask. Why was she thinking of that voice now, after all these years? True, at the time she had felt herself unable to do anything else but obey, but what about now? Was she still bound under its command? Could she, for once, disobey-

No.

Haku felt her heart clench with almost physical pain as she thought about it. She winced and rubbed at her chest absently, the pain leaving almost as soon as it came.

(Tazuna's house)

[several hours later]

Kakashi was feeling unusually uneasy. Kurenai had been gone for a while and had not reported back. There was no sign of her. He tried to tell himself that he was just being paranoid, but the thought of her being ambushed and killed stuck at the back of his mind. He cursed to himself and shook his head; what was wrong with him? He was an ANBU captain, a retired one it's true, but one did not make it to captain in the first place without being this paranoid.

Still, there was a distinct possibility that she had run into that Ga person, or even Zabuza himself.

Abruptly, Kakashi stood up, causing the others to look around at him. "Kurenai's been gone for too long," He told them grimly, "Something's up and I going to go find out what it is. Sasuke, Hinata-san, get ready to leave! Tazuna-san, you too."

"What about me, sensei?" Asked Naruto from his seat, raising his hand.

"You'll stay here," the Jonin replied, "There's a chance that Gato could send someone to kidnap Tsunami-san and use her as a hostage against Tazuna-san. Your job is to make sure nobody does so, got it?"

Naruto saluted. "Loud and clear."

Kakashi nodded, trying to not think about how much Naruto reminded him of that friend of Minato-sensei's…along with sensei himself, of course.

Hinata smiled nervously at Naruto as she walked out the door behind Sasuke, the old bridge-builder behind her. Naruto smiled back. _Good luck, Hinata-chan,_ He thought, _Come back in one piece._ He frowned at himself, wondering why he felt worried. Surely nothing would go-

_No!_

Naruto jumped at the outburst from Alex, drawing a look from Inari. "What is it?" the boy asked, "Did you hear something?"

Naruto blinked and looked at him. "Eh? No…nothing." _Hey Alex, what gives?_

_Rule thirty-two of the Gormim,_ Alex said seriously,_ You never, _ever_ say things like that. There's too much of a chance that Storia will hear you, and where the Narrator listens, Murphy is never far behind._

_Meaning what?_

_Meaning, if you finish…what you were about to think, it _would_ happen. Mind your thoughts._

Naruto sweat-dropped. _Are you saying this Storia guy can read minds?_ The silence he received was more than enough of an answer. _Son of a bitch._

(The bridge)

"Here," Mumbled Kakashi's tracking dog, Pakkun, "Their scent stops at this bridge."

Kakashi frowned. They had followed the scent of Kurenai's group to the incomplete bridge, but there was no sign of any of them.

Hinata quickly activated her Byakugan. "I don't detect any chakra signatures belonging to any of the team, Kakashi-sensei," She reported, scanning the area. "Though there is a large amount of chakra laced mist under the bridge."

Sasuke tensed while Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Zabuza," He muttered, "I knew it. What did you do with Kurenai?"

With a snort, Zabuza Shunshined onto the bridge, Haku following suit. "Damn, I knew I couldn't hide from a Hyuuga."

_Then why did we bother hiding under the bridge?_ Haku thought, sweat-dropping. "As for your comrades, I believe Ga-san has already dealt with them. It was he who led you to this place," She added.

Suddenly, the four Konoha-nin were surrounded eight Mizu Bunshin of Zabuza. "And now we can take care you," the original finished, grinning under his bandages, "Look! That kid is still shaking like last time! What _have_ you been teaching these brats, Kakashi?"

Kakashi just glanced at the Uchiha. "If you please, Sasuke," he said casually.

Sasuke smirked slightly. "I'm not trembling with fear," He told the Kiri-nin, "I'm trembling from excitement!" With a flicker he vanished, only to reappear in the same spot, holding a kunai. There was a beat, then the water clones collapsed back into puddles. "Too easy," He muttered, _if I can't even take out a few Bunshin, I'll never be a match for _him, He thought with grim satisfaction.

"Hoh?" Zabuza raised a nearly nonexistent eyebrow in curiosity, "Well well, looks like you've got a rival in speed, Haku," He chuckled lightly.

Haku crouched, a long senbon of ice appearing between her fingers. "We'll have to see about that," She said jokingly. With her mask, however, the light comment sounded downright menacing. She dashed forward, too quick for the untrained eye to follow.

*Cling.*

Her charge, however, was brought up short. With a burst of speed, Hinata had intercepted Haku, blocking her needle with a kunai. "Don't forget about me!" Growled the heiress tightly.

"Oh?" Haku tilted her head, "How curious. You're a fiery one, aren't you?" She increased the pressure of her attack.

Although a light blush appeared on Hinata's cheeks, her only response was to narrow her eyes and release a burst of killing intent. She channeled chakra to her arms and pushed back. Such was her strength that her metal knife snapped through the ice senbon and, throwing her weight behind the knife, made a hard thrust at the false hunter-nin.

However, Haku's reflexes served her well and she jumped back in time, only receiving a small, negligible wound on her upper arm. The two girls stared each other down, ready to go again.

Observing the situation, Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, looks like Hinata's made her choice," He said brightly, "Sasuke, you stay here and guard Tazuna-san. I'll deal with Zabuza."

Tazuna nodded gratefully. Sasuke looked sulky, but knew better than to disobey his superior in the middle of a fight.

Without warning Haku and Hinata leaped at each other again, the Hyuuga swinging her kunai overhead.

(Back at Tazuna's house)

Naruto raised his head, his brow wrinkling slightly. "Why am I getting a feeling of great satisfaction?" He muttered to himself.

"I couldn't tell you, Naruto-san," Tsunami replied, surprising him. Up until now she had been rather quiet, watching him out of the corner of her eye while she cleaned the plates from breakfast, "Perhaps someone out there did something you would be proud of."

Naruto thought about that for a moment. "Must have been Hinata-chan," He said, "None of the others have ever done anything to make me proud."

"They're your teammates, aren't they? Why do you antagonize them so much?" She asked, concerned.

Naruto grunted. "Sakura used to beat me up at the academy whenever I tried to ask her out and Sasuke…well, you've seen him. He's been trying to find out my 'secrets' for some ultimate goal. He claims that his life's dream is to kill someone. I mean, we're ninja, so killing isn't the issue, but to devote your whole life to killing one guy? Wake up, Uchiha, life is not about a grudge." He shook his head disgustedly.

Tsunami stared blankly at this outburst. "So, why don't you tell him this?"

He laughed sourly. "Because unlike you, Tsunami-san, he wouldn't listen. He'd just scowl and go 'Hn,' which would translate to, 'Dobe, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. STFU.'"

Inari stifled a laugh at the imitation, while Tsunami thought, _What does 'STFU' stand for?_

Then Inari said, "You know, one day you might need your back watched by your teammates if you get in trouble."

Naruto grimaced. "Boy, I've been getting into and out of trouble for years, often for things that were not my fault. Having teammates now will make no difference to that." He stood up and stretched. "I'm going upstairs to sleep. Just scream if someone breaks into the house." He stumped up the stairs and into the room they were using. However, his head had barely hit the futon when a scream pierced the air. "Oh, what the hell?" Naruto swore, jumping to his feet.

Downstairs, Inari and Tsunami cowered against the wall. Standing in the splintered remains of the front door were Gato's two main bodyguards, Zori and Waraji. Zori was a pale-skinned man with gray hair and small purple lines tattooed under his eyes. He wore a long purple hat and a blue jacket, along with a simple katana. Waraji possessed a curling green tattoo on one shoulder, which was displayed due to his lack of a shirt. He also wore an eye patch over a missing eye, and wore his brown hair in an odd ponytail that he bound back to his scalp. His sword was in his hand and he looked very eager to use it.

"Hello, Tsunami," Zori greeted with false cheer, "Gato's been getting a bit antsy lately about your old man, so we're gonna have to ask that you come with us. What do you say? You want to do this the easy way?"

As Tsunami swallowed, her face white, Waraji said, "Mind you, we don't mind if you refuse; I've been dying to cut something up." He grinned at Inari, "After all, Gato only told us to take one hostage…"

Even as the one-eyed man raised his sword, Tsunami shouted, "Wait! If you harm a hair on my son's head, I'll bite my tongue and choke to death on my own blood!"

All three males stiffened at the determination in her eyes but finally, after a look from Zori , Waraji groaned and sheathed his katana. "God damn it. I really wanted to cut something; that door didn't do a thing for me!"

Inari sank to his knees as his mother was tied up. He felt powerless. His mother was going to be taken away to be used against his grandfather, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. It was like watching his father's death all over again…Only this time, there was no fence to keep him away. Inari's eyes gleamed as he snatched up a knife that Tsunami had just cleaned. "Let go of my mother, you bastards!" He yelled, running at the two swordsman.

Waraji looked around, confused. "Eh?" He said, seeing the young boy with the knife, "Well, would you look at that, Zori. The kid's resisting us. What did Gato say to do with resistors?"

Zori grinned, pushing Tsunami aside and drawing his sword. "Kill them."

"No!" Tsunami screamed, struggling against her ropes, "Inari!"

Inari could only stand there, trembling with fear as the two adults stalked towards him, the light gleaming off their swords.

*Squelch!*

Zori and Waraji both stopped. Blood stood out from their chest, highlighting a four long, deadly claws that were stabbed into their backs. Naruto shimmered into visibility, his claws out. "Hello, gents," He said cheerfully, "Just thought you should know, it's impolite to cut down a person's door and interrupt another's nap." So saying, he curled his claw/fingers, twisted his arms, and pulled back, ripping a substantial amount of flesh from their chests and back. They were dead before they hit the ground.

Inari was pale and shaking from the gruesome scene, Tsunami looked as if she was going to be sick. The orange boy looked around and saw the looks on their faces. "Ah, sorry," He said sheepishly, "I didn't mean to make such a mess. I'll clean that up." He closed his eyes and stretched his mouth wide, revealing his shark-teeth. The was a droning sound, and the remains of the two kidnappers darkened to black. Then they evaporated into thick smoke and were sucked into Naruto's open mouth.

"What are you?" Inari asked quietly.

Naruto shrugged, his face blank. "Does it matter?" He asked.

"Well, I-I guess not..."

The older boy snorted, then ruffled the younger one's hair. "Pretty impressive, how you stood up to those thugs," He praised lightly.

Inari looked down. "I couldn't do anything," He mumbled.

Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You were willing to try and save your loved one. You picked up the knife and stood your ground." Then he grinned, "Also, this plus the things that happened the other night, I'll definitely say this much about you: whatever else you might be, Inari, you are not a coward." Then he turned and walked out the door.

A moment later, however, he stuck his head back through the door. "Oh yeah, I forgot you were still tied up, Tsunami-san. Sorry," He said sheepishly.

[Minutes later]

Having cut Tsunami free from her ropes, Naruto walked away from the house. With every second, his steps became heavier and heavier, and he blinking rapidly to try and prevent his headache from arriving in full force. After consuming Zori and Waraji, Naruto found the added biomass was slowing him down considerably. With a mental shove, he shelved the stolen memories; he could view them later. He had gotten enough of a gist to understand that Zabuza and his apprentice Haku were likely attacking Kakashi at the bridge. It seems that Zabuza had been foolish enough to let Gato in on the plan.

Naruto leaned forward to run but, being heavier, all he managed to do was fall spectacularly on his face. With a groan, he sluggishly pushed himself to his feet, leaving handprints in the ground. _Alex?_ He asked, _what's wrong? Why is my body so heavy? I thought excess biomass was stored in some void._

_It is, normally,_ Alex responded instantly, _However, you have not fulfilled the requirement to get your own void. Sure, you're stronger right now, but you don't have the potential to still move quickly at the moment. You'll have to siphon it off onto another source of biomass or find a way to split it off you entirely._

Naruto put a hand to his chin, thinking._ Where can I find an alternate source of biomass?_ Cue light bulb. Naruto lifted up his jacket, causing Mido to fall out in his snake form and turn into a crow. _I'm so brilliant it's scary._

_I believe they would call this 'Chekov's Pet.'_

_Don't know what that is, don't care. I'm still a genius._ Naruto crouched down and put his hand on the bird. Biomass began to flow through his hand and into the construct. **"Man!" (Grow)** He commanded, pouring in a steady stream of the strange matter.

The surface of the crow rippled, before the whole thing started to expand. Feathers grew larger, as did the avian muscles along the wings and shoulders. The feet became adorned with long, curved talons. The beak became thicker, with ridges along the top. However, it was the green eyes that changed the most; the cross-shaped pupil tilted, becoming an X, before the ends branched off perpendicularly, creating a sort of black diamond with the X inside it. The now huge bird shook itself and gave a deep caw, staring intently at its master.

Naruto stared musingly at his creation. He frowned as he saw the new eyes, filing that little detail away in his brain. He took a few steps around the bird, observing that his weight was mostly back to normal. With a grunt, he hopped up onto Mido's back. "Alright," he commanded, "We need to get to the bridge, and quickly! Hi ho, Midori! Away, dattebayo!"

With a cry, Mido sprang into the air, flapping mightily with his huge wings. With Naruto standing on his back, he soared up over the trees, turned, and flew off in the direction of the incomplete bridge.

(At said bridge)

Hinata and Haku leaped back and forth, blocking and attacking with their weapons. While Hinata proved stronger and repeatedly broke Haku's senbon, the false hunter-nin kept producing a new one out of thin air.

"You're using chakra for those senbon," Hinata noted, having activated her Byakugan, "and freezing the moisture in the air to make ice. I've never seen a jutsu like that before."

"I possess the Hyoton Kekkei Genkai, which allows me to mix air and water chakra to make ice," Haku replied, "As far as I know, I'm the only one of my clan left. You're not so bad yourself; that sensei of yours has taught you well."

Hinata blushed, faltering slightly. "Ah- K-Kurenai-sensei didn't teach me all of this. I l-learned from Naruto-kun."

Now it was Haku's turn to wince. Naruto Uzumaki, again. Of course. "I see," she murmured, "In that case, it looks like I'll have to up the ante." She flung several senbon at the Hyuuga girl, forcing her to dodge, with one hand, while she formed seals with her other hand.

Hinata's pale eyes widened. _One handed seals?_ She dashed forward, chakra flaring at her fingertips, but it was too late. **"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho!" (Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)** The water around them shot into the air in droplets, lengthening into needles. Thanks to her Byakugan, Hinata could see that the needles were positioned at her sides and even behind her. "Be gone!" Yelled Haku, and with a sweep of her arm, the needles shot forward with intent to pierce.

Sending chakra to her feet, Hinata leaped into the air. Using her Byakugan, the Hyuuga heiress had been able to see that, while they had surrounded her from all sides, the needles had not formed above her, leaving a glaring blind spot for her to exploit. As she landed, she shifted the chakra to her calves, enabling her to dash forward with great speed. Chakra glowed at her fingers, tapering to sharp points, ready to cut through multiple chakra coils.

(With Zabuza and Kakashi)

The two Jonin circled each other warily, unlike their subordinates. Zabuza had his arm up, gripping the handle of his sword, while Kakashi held a kunai out in front of him. "Give up, Kakashi," Zabuza sneered, "The only reason you beat me last time was because of that damn eye and that twice damned boy. Now you're on your own with no one to help-" He shifted his head to the side to avoid the kunai that Kakashi had thrown.

"Don't get so cocky, Zabuza," the silver-haired Jonin replied. He quickly slid his headband up, revealing the red, tomoe'd eye, "You didn't get to experience the full power of my Sharingan last time. And as I'm sure you've heard, no one has ever seen this eye twice and lived." His hands came together, blurring through seals. **"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"** Kakashi made a ring with his index finger and thumb and blew into it. A large fireball roared out, streaking across the ground towards Zabuza.

The nuke-nin snorted derisively. He jumped back to make some room, forming five handseals of his own. **"Suiton: Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)** a curved wall of water roared up in front of him. The fireball struck the defense, causing a loud hissing, followed by a cloud of steam. "Why thank you, Kakashi," Zabuza said mockingly, "I was just wondering what to do next. **Kirigakure no Jutsu!"** The steam cloud grew, spreading out as the Kiri-nin's chakra mixed with it. Within seconds, the two of them were enveloped entirely in the mist.

Kakashi was on alert, the tomoe of his Sharingan whirling, both eyes wide, trying to catch sight of anything giving away Zabuza's position. Nothing. Of course not, this was Zabuza Momochi, the master of the Silent Killing Technique.

Still, he wasn't the only elite on the battlefield. He wasn't known as the man with over a thousand jutsu for nothing. He'd figure out something.

(With Hinata and Haku)

Haku gritted her teeth behind her mask. Whatever technique the Hyuuga girl had used was causing her large amounts of pain. In the studies she and Zabuza had made of the clan, they had not heard anything like those chakra nails. Her coils felt like they'd been mauled by a tiger. Fortunately she could still mold her chakra, but her control and overall mobility had lessened. She needed a way to even the playing field, but with the girl's Dojutsu active, there was no way Haku could sneak up behind her. Suddenly, Zabuza-sama's Kirigakure technique rolled over them, cooling the sweat that had been worked up from the fight. _If Zabuza-sama is using his special technique, then perhaps I should use my own,_ she thought. "You have fought well, Hyuuga-san," Said Haku, "But now I must get serious." Her hands came together in a series of handseals.

_What's she doing now?_ Hinata thought, watching her, _she's putting Water chakra in one hand and Wind in another. Is this an Ice technique?_

Finally, the fake hunter-nin stopped on a strange seal. **"Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho!" (Ice Release: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors)** Haku vanished as the moisture in the air began to collect. It coalesced into a circle of twelve Ice mirrors, then another circle of eight, these slanted toward the ground, and finishing with a single mirror on top, facing down, bringing the mirrors to a total of twenty-one. With a flicker, a Haku appeared inside each mirror, staring down at Hinata. "This is my ultimate technique," She said, each reflection drawing a series of senbon, "Even if you can see the attacks, don't think you can dodge them in time."

Hinata gulped, her heart pounding.

(Zabuza and Kakashi)

Kakashi spun on his heel and put his hands up, clapping his palms over the sides of the enormous blade in mid-swing. If he had been a half-second slower, he would have been cleaved in two. "How stupid do you think I am?" He asked, straining against the downward force of the sword, "Eighty-five percent of all surprise attacks come from behind!" However, his eyes widened as a second Kubikiri Bocho swung at him from the side. The edge began to bite into his side just as Kakashi seallessly Kawirimi'd out of the way. He winced and held a hand to the shallow wound, which was bleeding slightly. "…Which still leaves the other fifteen percent for follow up attacks," He berated himself. _Damnit! I still need a way to track him and hold him in place. Otherwise this battle will take too long and my Sharingan will drain all of my chakra._

"Look out below!" Yelled a voice. Kakashi looked up to see something orange hurtling towards him, along with a large black object.

The Jonin jumped out of the way as both hit the ground with a crash. Somewhere in the distance they heard Tazuna yell, "Oi! That's my bridge you're wrecking!"

"Sorry, old man!" Called Naruto. The mist cleared slightly, revealing the blond Genin to be standing amidst a crater spider webbed with cracks. Next to him crouched the form of an enormous black panther with green eyes. "Mido, you stay with Kakashi and track that Zabuza bastard. Try and mark him if you can."

The panther snarled in acknowledgement.

"Where's Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked his sensei.

"She's fighting that hunter-nin," the Jonin replied, "Be careful, Zabuza could be anywhere in this mist." Kakashi thought to ask why Naruto was not guarding Tsunami, but before he could do so, they were interrupted.

On cue, Kubikiri Bocho cleaved down out of nowhere. Naruto spun out of the way, reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword, and ripped it from its owner's grasp. "Oh come on, again?" Zabuza said, just before Naruto cut him in half through the chest. The unseen clone fell back into water, the zanbatou in Naruto's hands following suit. Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance but ran off. He had to find Hinata and help her; with the memories he had of Haku, he knew that she would have used the Makyo Hyosho by now, and that would be bad. "Don't think you'll get away that easy, gaki!" Zabuza suddenly loomed out of the fog, his sword held in a two-handed grip.

With a roar, Mido was on him in an instant, his fangs sinking into the nuke-nin's shoulder and his claws into the man's back. There was a puff of smoke as Zabuza Kawirimi'd away, leaving a log clamped in Mido's mouth. With a growl and a shake of his head, the panther crushed the log in his jaws. "Show off," Naruto muttered, running off again.

Zabuza cursed as he clutched his wounded shoulder. _Where the hell did that infernal brat get a fucking _panther? He thought. He was lucky that the mist still concealed him. He would be safe there until Kakashi tried to track him using the scent of his blood.

However, that was the least of his problems. On the bitten shoulder, a mark bloomed on the skin; three black crescent moons, back to back and pierced by a circle. The mark faded away a moment later, leaving him none the wiser.

(Haku and Hinata)

Hinata lowered her arms, whimpering quietly. Those mirror images of the hunter-nin were no illusion; her Byakugan would have revealed the real one if that were the case. No, each mirror, to her activated Dojutsu, held the same chakra system. _It could be Kage Bunshin, like Naruto-kun,_ she thought, _but why would she need mirrors? They're all moving at a completely synchronized rate, and the senbon are really coming from all directions._

"You should not bother trying to analyze my technique," Haku spoke up, "If what just happened is an indicator, you should devote your concentration to dodging."

This was a bit misleading. Thanks to her natural flexibility, Hinata had, so far, managed to avoid being directly skewered. She had suffered a few scratches, but apart from that she was fine; the needles were not even poisoned. Still, it was difficult for the blue-haired girl to focus on the attacks. Even a master of the Byakugan would find it impossible to see every needle coming at them and Hinata, of course, was a failure. In reality she could only see the most 'dangerous' needles and try to dodge those, all the others were just luck. This, plus the fact that all her own attacks on the hunter-nin kept failing (She just kept jumping from one mirror to another), meant that Hinata was already fighting a losing battle.

Haku stared down at her dispassionately behind her mask. She could see that her opponent knew the futility of her actions, but was refusing to back down. In truth, Haku felt a great deal of respect for the young girl. If their paths had not crossed, there was little doubt that the Hyuuga might one day have become a Kunoichi of great renown. It would be a shame to put an end to that potential. Flashing to an upper mirror behind Hinata, Haku made a hand-sign. **"Hyoton: Shimo Tanken no Jutsu." (Ice Release: Frost Dagger Technique)** A short blade crystallized around her right hand. Leaning forward, she emerged from the mirror, streaking towards Hinata from behind, the tip of her ice blade burying itself-

-In Naruto's intercepting palm, his fingers curling around the rest of the dagger. Haku's eyes widened before his other palm, powered from the elbow by a jet of chakra, slammed into the side of her face.

Haku went flying, the blade snapping off in Naruto's hand. Hinata turned in slow motion as the hunter-nin tumbled away. The first thing she saw, even as Haku hit a mirror with a thud, was Naruto standing over her, a blade of ice stabbed into his hand, his eyes a glowing green. "Hey, Hinata-chan!" He said cheerfully. Grimacing, he wrenched the ice from his palm and threw it down. He watched the torn muscles and tendons knitting back together before his eyes. "Sorry I'm late," He said to his friend apologetically, "I got lost in all this fog. Good thing I got here when I did, though, or you might have gotten hurt."

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped. Through her shock, a soft smile found its way across her face, "You're here!"

"Yep!" Naruto chirped. Then his face became serious, "I found out that you guys would be ambushed and came to help. There's no way I'd let my best friend get hurt."

Hinata turned bright red and smiled even wider, her heart pounding. _Naruto-kun..._

The two of them heard a loud crack and looked around. It was the mirrors; with Haku lying dazed on the ground, the jutsu was starting to unravel. With an almighty crash (Which also woke Haku with a start), the twenty-one mirrors shattered, fragmenting into a thousand pieces. Naruto pulled his hood up over his head and pulled Hinata close (Making her blush darker), sheltering her from the falling shards.

Haku dragged herself upright. Her head felt like Zabuza-sama had been practicing his Suiton jutsu on her again, her prized, strongest technique was in pieces around her, and she was low on chakra. Long story short, she felt like hell.

_Finish the fight,_ Hissed the Voice, _Finish it!_

Haku whimpered and cradled her aching head. _I can't,_ she thought plaintively, _What hope do I have against him? He's too fast for me! Please, just let me rest! I'm tired of all this fighting._

But the Voice was insistent. _He cannot counter you if you get rid of his sight,_ It howled, _FINISH THIS FIGHT, ******!_

Haku could not understand that last word, but it made her scream with pain.

Naruto turned his attention to Haku as the hunter-nin staggered to her feet. "Give up, Haku-chan," He said gently, causing Hinata to look at him in surprise; he knew this girl? "It's over."

As Haku raised her head, her mask, which had cracked from Naruto's blow, finally fell off her face, showing the tears running down her cheeks. "I c-can't," She cried, fear evident in her voice, "It isn't over, it won't leave me! H-help me, Naruto-kun-" Haku stiffened and gave a twitch, before a flat, alien look shifted into place behind her eyes, "This battle has not ended, Naruto Uzumaki," She said in a cold, mechanical voice, "You will not walk away with a complete victory."

Hinata tensed; that did not sound good. Something bad was about to happen, she knew it. But what? What could this Haku do in her present condition?

To the surprise of the Genin, instead of putting her hands together to make a seal, Haku opened her mouth and began to sing. There were no words, just a series of high, clear, solid notes. "Well, she's got a nice singing voice, at least," Naruto murmured to Hinata, "Though I don't see what's so bad about that."

"M-maybe it's a song to raise her spirits," Hinata suggested doubtfully. Still, the feeling of unease did not lessen.

Alex, on the other hand, knew what was going on. He recognized that singing and it filled him with dread and shock by turns. "No way," He hissed, highly perturbed, "That's...that's _chantment!_ Tremaris ice chantments!"

"What are chantments?" Kina asked curiously.

"Power drawn from song," Alex answered, looking increasingly agitated, "But it's from another world entirely. How could she even be using it? Better question, what is she doing with it?" _Naruto, be careful! She's up to something._

Naruto nodded and stepped forward just as Haku's song ended. "ARRRGH!" He suddenly reeled back as tiny splinters of ice pierced his eyes. Fiery pain exploded as his vision suddenly went dark.

"Naruto-kun!" Yelled Hinata, "What happened?"

"She got my fucking eyes!" Naruto growled, hands pressed over his face, "I can't see!" He could feel the biomass in his body react, trying to heal his eyes, but the shards of ice had to be forced out, which was even more painful. They seemed to resist the efforts of the virus to remove them.

Hinata shook with anger as she watched her crush scream in pain, blood leaking from between his fingers. She turned towards Haku, who had begun singing again. "No!" She cried, running forward.

However, Haku's song conjured a ball of ice, which flew at her with surprising speed. She managed duck underneath it, only to stop and turn, her eyes widening in horror as the ice ball shot towards Naruto. However, seeming to remember that he had rear eyes, he spun so his back was to the fight. Seeing the approaching attack, Naruto continued his spin, his left hand swinging out and catching the ball in a backhand, sending it flying. "That all you got?" Naruto asked, keeping one hand over his regenerating eyes, "You'll have to do better than that, Haku-chan."

Haku jumped back, away from Hinata. "This last attack will finish it, Naruto Uzumaki," She said, still in that strange monotone. She raised her head and sang. Naruto tried to run forward, but stumbled as frost crept up his leg, holding him in place. He tried to jerk free, but his Blacklight strength failed him, seeping away with the cold. As his eyes finally healed enough for him to see Hinata bound in the same way, Haku raised her voice once more. With each note, he saw through his adrenaline-sharpened eyes, a needle of ice formed, making a circle around him.

Time seemed to slow down as the song ended. The needles closed in around him, ready to plunge into his body. Suddenly there was a flicker of air and a puff of smoke. Naruto stumbled, bewildered; someone had just Kawirimi'd with him, but who? Then his blood ran cold as he heard a girl cry out in pain. With his rear eyes, he saw Hinata standing where he had been. She had taken the attack in his place, long needles jutting from the pale skin of her neck, as well as the rest of her body. "No!" He yelled, running over to her. Behind him, Haku collapsed to her knees.

Hinata swayed, smiling at Naruto as he rushed over to her. "So you didn't get hurt, Naruto-kun," She said happily, her eyes going in and out of focus, "Good. I was worried that you'd..." Without a warning, she fell.

With a yell, Naruto threw himself forward, catching her before she hit the ground. "Hinata!" He said, a note of desperation in his voice as her breathing became shallow, "Hinata! Don't you dare die on me! Why did you put yourself in danger like that? I could have handled it!"

Hinata just put a hand to his cheek. "There's no way I'd let my best friend get hurt," She said, repeating what he himself had said earlier, "Besides, I don't think even you could survive all those needles." Her eyes dimmed for a moment, then brightened again. "Naruto-kun...before I go...I need to tell you something."

Naruto shook his head, his mismatched eyes wide. "No, Hinata, don't-don't say anything. Save your strength-"

"No!" Hinata yelled with surprising strength, her eyes burning with determination, "I need to say this now, or I'll never forgive myself." She took a deep breath and looked Naruto in the eye. "I...I love you, Naruto Uzumaki."

If she had punched him in the stomach, it would have been less stunning. "What?" he gasped. It was all he could say.

"I love you," She repeated, her lavender eyes revealing her emotions, "I loved you for so many years, but I c-could never-" She stopped to cough and draw a ragged breath. The face of the boy she loved, looking so pale and shocked, was getting more difficult to see. Why was it getting darker? Was the sun going down already?

"H-Hinata..." Tears welled in Naruto's brown and blue eyes, "I'm sorry. I was such an idiot! I saw all the signs, but I never realized it. I'm so sorry!"

She just smiled and put a finger to his lips. "Don't be," She said gently, "In the end, you considered me to be...a friend...that was more than I could ever have hoped for..." She closed her eyes for a long moment, opened them and took a deep breath, then spoke again, her voice so quiet, "In the end...I'm glad that...even for such...such a short time...I was able...to walk beside you..." Her eyes closed and her hand dropped.

Naruto, his vision blurred with tears, tightened his hold on the beautiful girl and held her close. "I'm glad too, Hinata," He whispered, "I'm glad that I walked beside _you._ You are such a wonderful person." There was no response. Naruto was suddenly aware of how still she was, how he could hear only his own breathing. "Hinata?" He asked quietly.

Inside his mindscape, Kina sniffled, tears pouring from her ruby-red eyes. When Naruto called Hinata's name one last time, it was too much; the fox-girl burst into sobs and buried her face in Alex's jacket. The Blacklight patted her back as she cried, his own face somber.

Slowly, Naruto lowered Hinata to the ground. He stared at her with no clear thoughts in his mind.

"I'm sorry, too," Said a voice. Naruto looked up slowly. Haku had dragged herself over to them, her head bowed. "I didn't want to do it," She said, her voice shaking, "I didn't even want to fight anymore. But I couldn't control it, and now she's..."

Naruto just stared at her for a moment. "She was the first person to ever say that to me," He said, his voice dead, "And you killed her." He looked down at Hinata. "Why did you kill her?" He asked softly, "How could you destroy something so beautiful?"

Haku closed her eyes. She knew she shouldn't say this, but... "She would have become a great shinobi," She said.

Naruto's head swiveled to look at her. Both of his eyes burned scarlet, the pupils split into crosses. "She was," He growled, an aura of red chakra building up around him, **"She **_**was**_** a great shinobi!"**

AN: Chapter 17, complete. And in record time, too! Seems that writing at school really does wonders for writing time.

Summary time:

1. New Gorem: Morris Nocturne. Morris is one of the eldest Gormim, and a master of Shadows. For the full bio, go to my author page. The reason he took the form of the darkness in the cave is because that is his natural state.  
2. Fuoca is very curious.  
3. Just because Ga got his ass kicked for the last couple of encounters doesn't mean he can't hold his own in a fight.  
4. Ga is extremely flexible for reasons that will be explained later.  
5. Well, it looks like Kurenai has finally met someone who's better at illusions than her. Personally, I think Ga/Nord has been paying attention to Terry Pratchett's books, cause I don't think it would be possible to do what he did otherwise. Still, do you have to rub it in their faces, Nord?  
6. Ga was responsible for Kakashi's feeling of paranoia. He also used an illusion to fake a scent trail, leading Kakashi's team to the bridge.  
7. Yes, Naruto killed Zori and Waraji. No, I have no idea what he thinks about that.  
8. Naruto isn't used to having too much biomass, so he needs to siphon it off, or split it away.  
9. Giant Mido. Yay, Mido's finally useful!  
10. The mark that Mido put on Zabuza will be explained in the next chapter.  
11. Haku doesn't entirely like following Zabuza, but the Voice in her head forces her to do so.  
12. When it looked like Haku was going to refuse to fight, the Voice possessed her, sort of, and made her fight anyway.  
13. Chantment is a form of power from the Tremaris Trilogy. It has no place in the Naruto-verse whatsoever, but the Voice seems to know how to use it. Why did I put it in? I don't know, but Haku was already low on chakra, which chanting does not need.  
14. Thanks to a suggestion from a previous reviewer, Naruto's Blacklight powers are vulnerable to extreme heat and cold.  
15. When Haku was launching that last attack, Naruto's eyes had regenerated by that time.  
16. NaruHina confession. In my humble opinion, this was a masterpiece. I've been wanting this particular scene for _months_ and now I have. Naruto now knows, without a doubt, Hinata's feelings. Also, if you _really_ think I killed off Hinata...Well, ye of little faith.  
17. Kina is a total sucker for romantic moments like these. Poor Kina.  
18. Naruto is now angry. Oh crap.

Harem update:  
I will be adding Olivia, Guren, and Amaru to the harem, eventually.

To NaruHina fan, no, I will not be adding Kurenai to the harem. It just wouldn't work, and besides which, my sister would kill me.

So the full harem listing is, in no particular order:  
Hinata (Blacklight)  
Ino (Magia: Farwalker)  
Tenten (Ferro)  
Blair (Souse)  
Olivia (Vetra)  
Kina (Terme)  
Yugito (Lampe)  
Nibi (Terme)  
Samui (Lampe)  
Haku (Ghiaccio)  
Anko (Blacklight)  
Fuu (Gloma)  
Nanabi (Baro)  
Hanabi (Nocturne)  
Ichibi/Shukaku (Petra)  
Guren (Gloma)  
Temari (Baro)  
Koyuki (Ghiaccio)  
Amaru (Blacklight)  
Shion (Magia: Spellwright)  
Tayuya (Din)  
Kin (Din)  
Kurotsuchi (Gloma)  
Mei (Souse)

Also, for those who like the Gormim, I have started a collection of short stories about them. There's only one so far, but please check it out.

Finally, I'd like to present my first Omake.

Omake: Olivia's questionnaire corner

Olivia sat in an armchair, looking tense. Across from her, slouched in another chair, was Len Ferro. "Um, th-thanks for coming down here," She said nervously.

"No problem," Len replied lazily, "So, what are we doing here?"

Olivia fidgeted with some papers in front of her. "W-well, this is my first time going to another world-"

"Besides this one," He interjected shrewdly, "You're from Earth."

"Right, well, I mean, another world besides this one," Olivia stammered, nodding, "And, um, I'd like to learn the rules for these, um, outings."

Len nodded slowly. He sat up, raising his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "Well, the main rule is, when you get to the world in question, obey their rules of power. Since we're going to the Naruto-verse, you should use chakra and handseals for any techniques. You can use techniques from other worlds as well, but try to keep that to a minimum," Then he smirked, "Unless, of course, you just can't help yourself. For instance, using Kido in the Naruto-verse is okay, just not the first the you should do."

Olivia nodded, writing all of this down.

"Second rule of the Naruto-verse," Len continued, "When you get there, your body will develop its own chakra system and produce elemental chakra, depending on what house you're from."

"What about me?" She asked, looking up, "Is there such a thing as Glass Jutsu?"

He shook his head, frowning. "No, there aren't," He said, "You'll have to make things up as you go. You can, like observe fighting styles from people who use elements similar to yours, like crystal or clay, but for the most part it'll be up to you."

Olivia wrote down, 'make up jutsu,' and looked at her list of questions. "Alright, these are kid of personal. I'm going to be on the same team as you, so I want to find out more about you."

"That's nice," Len muttered. He spread his hands, "Fire away."

"What's the scariest thing you could find under your bed?"

Len blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "Er, I'd have to say Carlos," He said.

"What's your favorite food?"

That wasn't so unexpected. "Blair's cookies. They're _so_ worth stealing."

Now Olivia blinked. "Er, least favorite food?"

"Peppers."

"What's your favorite pastime?"

The lecherous grin on the Ferro's face was answer enough.

Olivia blushed and said, "Er, what do you think of your other teammates?"

He scratched his cheek in thought. "Well, in my opinion, Carlos has issues and is a bit of a wet blanket. When he does cut loose, though, he's pretty respectable. Not too shabby with a gun, either. As for you, you're seem kinda self-conscious. Shy, unsure of what you want, but wanting to make a good first impression."

Olivia's face reddened but she didn't say anything.

"Hey, does that blush only reach your face or does it go further?"

*Whack!*

Olivia chucked a spontaneously spawned paperweight at him, which hit him on the head.

Len held up the ball of glass. "New conclusion: You're a little thin-skinned and have a good throwing arm."

She blanched.


	18. Chapter 18

I don't have a special opening this time. Can't think of one. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
/Translation\  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being  
_**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 18: Things come to a head.

Kakashi paused in his search for Zabuza as the air filled with malicious, tainted Killing Intent. "That's Naruto," He murmured, eyes narrowed, "Has the seal broken? No, no, it's still in place…"

"Are you sure you should be worrying about that?" Asked a voice from behind him. It was Zabuza. The nuke-nin stood right behind him, but made no move to attack.

Kakashi snorted without turning his head. "Funny, I was just wondering the same thing about you; that accomplice of yours won't be able to stand up to Naruto now that he's like this."

"What of it? Haku's done her purpose, as any good tool should. Whether she lives or dies is no longer my concern. Besides which, if she can't handle the kid, maybe that Ga idiot can. Who's to say?"

The only answer he received was a flare of Killing Intent from Kakashi, barely discernable from the demonic KI permeating the air. "I won't have any regrets from killing you," the Konoha Jonin growled, the tomoe of his left eye spinning. He pulled a scroll from a pocket of his vest, unrolling it. He put a hand to the wound on his side for a moment, getting some of the blood on his fingers, and then swiped a line of blood straight down the middle before rolling it up again with a swirling motion.

With a roar, Mido lunged out of nowhere, fangs bared. Zabuza cursed and hefted his sword. He only managed to bat the panther aside, but the biomass construct only bounced back to his feet and charged again. The Kiri-nin was so preoccupied with trying not to get mauled to death that he didn't even notice Kakashi's scroll, nor the four hand seals he made. **"Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu," (Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)** Kakashi muttered, slamming the scroll into the ground. Now to wait.

(Meanwhile)

Youki surged from within Naruto, burning through his chakra pathways and emerging from his skin in an orange aura. Unlike the cold fluidity of biomass, Naruto felt as if his body had been charged with flames; he still felt strength, but it was different, more reactive. The nails on his fingers and his canine teeth lengthened and sharpened, and his whisker marks grew broader and darker. However, he could only note this distantly, because all other thoughts and emotions faded in the face of his rage. On the ground laid Hinata Hyuuga, the one and only girl to ever tell him that she loved him. She was dead, pierced in the neck by several long needles made of ice. In front of him was the person directly responsible for her death: Haku.

With a snarl and a blur of speed, Naruto charged forward from his crouch, his clawed fingers leading. **"I'm gonna kill you!"** He roared.

Haku just stood there. She was too tired, too out of chakra to fight anymore. If she should die now, fine. She closed her eyes as the Jinchuuriki approached. Kami, what she would give just to rest…Imagine her shock when a pair of thin arms seized her around the middle and she was jerked sharply away. Her eyes flew open to see the face of Ga; he had pulled her out of the way and intercepted Naruto's attack.

Naruto grunted in surprise when his hand, instead of tearing out the fake hunter-nin's throat, was caught in what felt like a vice of solid rock. The wind user, Ga, stood before him, his scarf down and a grin on his face. "For shame, Naruto-san!" Ga said mockingly, his gray eyes gleaming, "Has anyone ever told you never to let your temper get away from you?" With a flick of his finger, he dispelled the solid air holding the boy's hand in place.

"**You!"** Naruto roared. His freed hand came up and, with an almighty smack, he backhanded Ga across the jaw.

The mercenary stumbled from the force of the blow, which really should have taken his head clean off. As it was, his head nearly twisted one-hundred-eighty degrees. But there was no crack of bones breaking; Ga remained standing. Slowly, he turned back to face Naruto, a smirk growing on his face despite the already-fading red mark on his cheek. "Thank you, sir," He said sarcastically, "May I have another?" Naruto blinked for a second, then his face twisted with rage at the obvious taunt. He shot forward, red Youki simmering at his clenched fist. Ga merely shook his head and sighed as he stepped back out of reach. "Such impatience," He chided, ducking and weaving through all the blows. Naruto fought like a cornered animal, clawing at the Gorem with sharpened nails, spinning and kicking at him, even jumping into the air and trying to hit him from above. Every time, Ga slipped through as if he were made of smoke. "Come on!" He finally said, getting bored with the boy, "Use your head if you want to beat me! Or better yet, try those claws of yours."

Naruto just growled, but his arms erupted in a swirling of black and formed his bladelike claw-hands. There was a flash of silver and red, and three long cuts appeared on Ga's chest, travelling vertically. The man looked down and grimaced, even as the cuts healed over. "Well, I suppose I _did_ ask for it," He mumbled to himself. With a flick, both bladed fans appeared in his hands, the edges glowing with Wind chakra. "Might as well step it up myself. **Blow, Level 1: Breeze!"** The air around him shifted, becoming denser. The next swing of Naruto's claws was blocked by the side of the fans, and he quickly had to move his other hand to block an attack from Ga's other arm with the backs of his claws. And so the exchange went, blocking each other's blows while attacking simultaneously. Naruto's attacks were more impulsive and bestial, while Ga had a more sneaky, slippery technique to his slices. Both sides rocked back and forth in their furious but contained fight. Finally, Ga managed to slip in a good hit.

Naruto howled as the edge of a fan, sharpened and hardened by wind, slipped under the tips of his claw-fingers and severed them from his left hand at the joint, leaving only the thumb. Reacting to the pain, Naruto thrust with his remaining claws at Ga's shoulder. The blades only skittered uselessly over the armor of condensed air that the man had formed on his body, passing harmlessly over.

"You're open!" Cried Ga. Dropping both fans, he reached back and under his own shoulder in a display of flexibility that would have made Hinata jealous, and seized Naruto's wrist, before pulling down. While doing so, he twisted and threw his weight forward, flipping the surprised Naruto over. Before the blond boy could even hit the ground, Ga shifted his grip on Naruto's wrist and slammed his Wind-strengthened palm into Naruto's elbow.

Naruto screamed in pain as he felt the bones in his right arm shatter into pieces. He hit the ground, agony pulsing from both arms now, while Ga stood over him. The assassin stamped hard on Naruto's stomach, causing him to choke, and raised his hand with two fingers extended. **"Kaze no Yaiba!"** He barked, swiping his hand down and to the side. There was a warp of displaced air and a flash of pain as the Wind Blade tore through Naruto's chest, causing blood to spray into the air from the resultant gash in the boy's chest.

Now, by this time, Naruto was in a serious amount of pain. Both biomass and youki swirled as they tried to fix the shattered bones in his arm and heal the cuts he'd sustained. However, this pain managed to, for the most part, snap him out of his blind rage. Mind you, the pain wasn't much better, but it did at least allow him to think. _Okay...Can I move my arm- Ow! ooh, fuck no! Alright, alright, no help from my right arm. What do I still have? I've got a bit of biomass, but if I try to shape-shift, he might notice and stop toying with me. I've still got youki flowing, by the Log, this stuff burns! Will it burn others if I channel it into others, Kina-chan?_

_It will,_ The fox-girl replied, sounding slightly strained, _even better if you can directly inject it into him._

_Thank you, Kina._

_You're welcome. I'm just glad you've calmed down, you wouldn't listen to us at all!_

_You were saying something?_ He thought, confused, before mentally shaking his head, _never mind that now, I think I've got a plan!_ Above him, he could see Ga moving again, readying himself for another attack. Before he could, Naruto struck first. He lifted his left arm, with its only remaining claw, and jabbed the bladed thumb into the leg pinning him down and sending his youki surging out into muscle and veins.

Ga screamed as his leg seemingly erupted in flames from the inside. His concentration broken, he stumbled off, only to experience even more pain as the claw snapped off in his calf, still lodged deeply in the flesh. "D-damn it!" He growled, "That was a good one, gaki."

"Th-thanks," Naruto said dazedly, stars bursting in his eyes as a painful twinge ran up his arm. _Great. Now _both_ arms are useless. I'm fucked._ He quickly shifted his arms back to normal, only to grit his teeth. His right arm was still broken, and while he had the fingers of his left hand back, he could not feel them. "Shit. Looks like I'm not gonna get up soon," He groaned.

Ga grunted as he bent down. With a tug, he wrenched the broken claw out of his leg and dropped it, pressing shaking fingers to the puncture wound. It still burned, youki coursing through his veins and making him feel distinctly feverish. Sighing, the mercenary gestured. With a swirl of wind, both of his fans jumped into the air and spun into his hands. "Damn brat," He growled, though if one listened closely, they would not have detected any heat in the words, "What the hell was that? It feels like poison. Not enough to kill me, but still..." He took a limping step forward, Wind chakra flickering along the edges of his fans again, "You've run a good race, kid, but now it's over-"

"Wait." Ga stopped and switched his attention to Haku. The girl was sitting in a kneeling position, hands on her knees and head bowed. "That's enough, Ga-san," She said quietly, "He can't fight back. There's no point in hurting him anymore."

Naruto turned his head to scowl at her. "A fine thing to say when you're on the sidelines," He snapped, "But I fail to see why you should spare me. You would've killed me before if Hinata hadn't-" He broke off with a growl, his eyes flashing red again. Youki flickered through his coils; he could feel a tingling in his fingers as feeling returned to them. There was a severe sting and the cut across his chest healed over, followed by the jacket. "Besides, I've still got an arm left. Once I've kicked Ga-teme's ass, I'm coming for you, Haku!"

Haku held up her hand to stop Ga, who had started forward at the challenge. She stood up and walked over to the orange boy's side, where she knelt next to him. She looked him in the eye, surprising him with the solemnity present in her expression. "I have gone through my whole life with Zabuza-sama, trying to be as useful as to him I can, as a tool," She said quietly, "I may have skill, Naruto-kun, but until today, I have never killed a single person that I have fought. In Zabuza-sama's eyes, that makes me a defective tool. I am sure that, once I have out-lived my usefulness, Zabuza-sama will dispose of me. Just leave me behind, like that stranger did, so long ago. You beat me, Naruto-kun. You may be crippled now, but the fact remains that you beat me and proved me to be useless." Slowly, gently, she took a hold of Naruto's right hand with her smaller, cooler hands and placed it at her neck. "You want to kill me, Naruto-kun? Do it. Go ahead. Snap my neck right now, strangle me, do whatever you want, just kill me! I'm tired of living like this! Take your revenge!"

(With Zabuza and Kakashi)

Zabuza panted, his sword clutched tightly in his hand. He spun, blade cleaving out in a near circle to try and hit the panther, which had tried to sneak up behind him. Mido growled and changed his form; the enormous weapon instead passed underneath a massive black snake. The serpent twisted in air, slamming into the Kiri-nin's chest with a thick coil and sending him stumbling back. Mido hit the ground but did not stop moving; already he spun, digging his mane of scales into the ground for leverage. The tip of his tail swung through the air and just barely making a cut in Zabuza's cheek.

The sting of the tail shocked Zabuza back into focus. _Damn it, this day just keeps going from bad to worse. First a panther, now a fucking_ python?_ What the hell is this thing?_

*Wham!*

Another coil struck him with surprising strength behind it, sending him reeling. As he stumbled back, however, Zabuza felt something squish beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw that the ground was covered in a strange, translucent blue liquid.

"**Suiton: Mizuame Nabara," (Water Release: Syrup Capture Field)** Kakashi said from behind the nuke-nin, "You really should keep track of your surroundings, Zabuza." _Thank you, Izumo!_ He thought with an eye-smile.

The Swordsman tried to jump away, be his foot wouldn't budge. "Shit," Zabuza growled, "Don't think you'll be able to keep me in place like this for long! **Suiton: Suishoha!" (Water Release: Water Explosion)** Water erupted at Zabuza's feet and swirled around him. The sticky syrup was quickly washed away in the torrent, before the impromptu twister exploded outward. Mido tried to leap forward as a panther to intercept, but was knocked down by the wave. Kakashi leaped over the wave and ran down the other side to avoid being carried away. However, Zabuza wasn't done yet, as he formed another ten seals. **"Suiton: Suikodan no jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique)** A section of the wave shot back toward Kakashi, taking the form of a flying shark.

However, the silver-haired Jonin had seen Zabuza performing the technique with his Sharingan and instantly copied it. **"Suiton: Suikodan no jutsu!"** Instead of using more water from the earlier wave, Kakashi instead aimed the jutsu at the water that Zabuza's jutsu was already using. The result was…odd. The shark halted in midair, mutated, distorted, and finally exploded into a harmless burst of water due to the conflicting chakras.

Zabuza's eyes widened at the ingenuity of his opponent. _No wonder he was an A-rank in the Bingo Book. I bet he could even give Mangetsu a bit of trouble._ His thoughts were interrupted by a rumbling. He looked down just in time to see the ground explode into bits of rubble. A group of ninken, varying in shape and size, leaped out of the holes and latched onto different parts of his body with their mouths. Zabuza grunted pain as the sharp teeth sank into his arms and shoulders; he tried struggling to throw them off, but they were too heavy and held on too tight. He couldn't move either. He was trapped. "And when did you set this up?" He asked grudgingly.

Kakashi shrugged modestly. "A few minutes ago, when you were fighting Mido. My ninken were tracking the scent of your blood on the ground, along with the little bit of my own blood that you got on your blade." Then his eyes grew steely. "Your all out of luck this time, Zabuza. It'll take more than a few senbon to get out of this."

Zabuza strained against the dogs holding him. "What will you do? Use another of your stolen jutsu, Copycat?"

"No." The Konoha-nin said quietly. He put his hands together and made three seals. _Ushi, U, Saru!_ He finished by grabbing his right wrist, the fingers of his right hand curled upward. A visible aura of chakra surged around him, centering on his hand. A ball of lightning materialized between the fingers, crackling ominously. "This is my one original jutsu, Zabuza Momochi. **Raikiri!" (Lightning Cutter)**

(Back with Naruto)

Ga tilted his head quizzically at Haku's challenge. _What's she doing?_ He thought, _does she really want to die? I mean, sure, Zabuza is kind of a dick, but I thought she liked him._ He stood still, watching interestedly.

Naruto was shocked. Haku wanted him to kill her. She had willingly gotten close to him and even put his hand to her throat. _It would be so easy,_ He thought grimly, _I'm strong enough; I could snap her neck without any effort._ The thought of a young girl, betrayed by her family and abandoned by her savior, intruded in his thoughts. _That's not my fault!_ He thought angrily, his grip tightening.

Haku choked as the boy's fingers cut off her airway.

_And why shouldn't I?_ He continued to himself, _What happened in her past wasn't my fault! She killed Hinata!_

_I don't think Hinata would like to see you avenging her like this,_ Kina said in a small voice, _And also, do you really want to kill someone who was just like you?_

Naruto didn't answer. He tried not to think about that, but he couldn't help it. Haku _was_ like him. Both of them had been shunned because of something they could not control. Both of them had been left parentless. Both of them knew what it was like to be abandoned and lonely. Could he kill someone like him? His fingers loosened from around Haku's neck. "No," He murmured, both to Kina and to himself, "I don't want to be like them."

Haku gasped and coughed as air flowed back into her lungs. She clutched at her throat, panting as she looked down at the orange-clad boy. "Why?" She asked hoarsely.

"I think I already answered that," Naruto said sarcastically, "I don't want to be like those assholes back home."

Ga spoke up now. "So, wait, you actually wanted to die, Haku-san?"

"Shut up," Said both Naruto and Haku without looking at him, causing him to blink and look awkward.

"Why would you not want to kill me?" Haku asked, frustrated, "I thought you hated me for killing your friend!"

Naruto's eyes flickered. "Maybe so, but I don't think Hina-chan would want me to kill you out of revenge. That would be an insult to her memory."

"That, plus she's not dead," Ga cut in.

"Didn't I tell you to-"Naruto stopped. "Wait...what?" He looked over at the mercenary.

Ga was kneeling next to Hinata's body, gently prodding her cheek. "I said that she's not dead." He indicated her neck. "Those three senbon have melted, but I can see that they struck the points that induce a death-like state. Also, despite the cool air around us, she is maintaining a stable body temperature. In other words, Haku-san, you did not kill this girl."

Naruto opened his mouth, a look of joy spreading across his face. Then his mouth snapped closed and his expression became suspicious. "Why are _you_ being so helpful?"

Ga shrugged, but before he could say anything, there was a loud *BOOM!* Ga's eye twitched for a moment, he took a deep breath through his nose and kneaded his temples. "Because," He said through gritted teeth, "My employer just died. Mother-fucker."

Haku blinked. "Zabuza-sama?" She mumbled to herself in confusion. Then she paled. "No!" She yelled, springing to her feet. She ran past Ga, who had his eyes closed, and towards the source of the noise. As she ran, the mist began to dissolve.

"I think that's revenge enough," Naruto told his fellow blond, "I lost my precious person to her, or thought I did. Now she gets to lose hers."

"And now?" Ga asked calmly, staring at him intently, "Now what? Does it make you feel any better?"

Naruto opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it and looked away, suddenly ashamed. "No..." He admitted, "Hinata's not _really_ dead, is she? I haven't really lost her. But Zabuza is actually dead, so Haku is all alone now. That's not really a fair tradeoff."

The green-garbed assassin tilted his head and regarded Naruto with a calculating look. "...Fair enough," He said finally. He stood up, brushing his legs down, and limped over to the boy, holding out his left hand. "Get up." Naruto looked at him with a question in his mismatched eyes. "I'm not going to carry your girlfriend over to you," Ga said mock-irritably, "You're gonna have to go to her."

"She's not my girlfriend," Naruto said automatically, taking his hand and getting to his feet, wincing and trying to keep his broken arm from moving too much. When he was fully upright, he frowned suddenly frowned. "Damn it, how do you keep doing that?" He asked Ga angrily, "Every other time we meet and start talking, I get this urge to not fight!"

Ga pulled aside the front of his kosode, causing his wind Negative Infinity to appear. "Perhaps it's because we are now both on the same side," He said with a small smile as they walked over to the fallen Hyuuga girl, "I don't really know when or how, but whenever I put out my senses, I get a reaction from my NI to you. Congrats, Naruto-san. Welcome to the Gormim."

Naruto sat down and, using only his left hand, lifted Hinata's head onto his lap. "I'm a Gorem?" He asked in curiosity, "Weird. I would have thought I'd feel different."

Ga squinted, his gray eyes thoughtful. "Well, it's not distinct; it's just a Potential Infinity, wherever on your body it's manifested. You'll be a full Gorem when somebody inducts you into their house.

"And what house are you?" Naruto asked, stroking Hinata's dark blue hair.

Ga shrugged. "Baro- that is to say, wind."

_Just so you know, I'm not inducting you into my house yet,_ Alex suddenly spoke up, surprising Naruto, _For one thing, you're still not quite ready, in terms of your Blacklight abilities. For another thing, I need to be outside of your mindscape._

_Yeah, yeah, I hear you,_ Naruto said, mentally waving him off, _Now shut up, I have a pretty girl in my lap and my arm is still broken._

(Kakashi)

The Jonin sighed and pulled his arm from the nuke-nin's chest. There was a blast of smoke as his ninken dispelled themselves. _That was a tough fight,_ he thought tiredly, pulling his headband down over his Sharingan, _but it's over now._

"Zabuza-sama!"

_Oh, crap-baskets._

Haku burst onto the scene, a look of panic on her face. When she saw the prone form of Zabuza, her eyes widened, tears welling up. "No," She whispered, dropping to her knees by his side, "No. It can't be. It _can't_ be! Zabuza-sama! _Zabuza-sama!_

Kakashi looked away. This was always the hard part.

"What will I do now?" Haku asked the dead man frantically, "Without you I have nothing to live for! You might not have been the best of companions," Kakashi sweat-dropped, "But you were the only one who had any use for me! Where will I go now? Who will tell me where- why are you turning black?" As Haku babbled to her dead master, a patch of black skin began to develop on the man's shoulder. The blackness quickly spread until it encompassed Zabuza's whole body, including his clothes. Then the whole thing began to unravel like a collection of bandages, swirling in the air, before the contracting and shrinking into a tiny black ball. There was a moment of silence. "What the hell?" Haku asked slowly, picking up the ball with the tips of her fingers. A beat. "When I told you to lose some weight, Zabuza-sama," She began, a slight note of hysteria in her voice, "This is not what I meant."

Kakashi face-faulted. That had been the last thing he'd expected to hear from the girl.

The girl stared at the ball, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Should she bury it? It seemed kind of pointless; it was so tiny, about the size of a gumball. So preoccupied was she with her thoughts that she did not notice the thick black snake slithering up beside her, until it was too late.

*Wham!*

Haku keeled over, out cold, as the heavily muscled tail of Mido smashed into the side of her head. The biomass creation quickly scooped up the ball with his teeth, turned into a panther, and dashed off.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of all this. "Fuck it," He muttered, "I'll go look for Sasuke and Tazuna."

(With Naruto and Ga)

Naruto yelped as the large black cat bounded up to him. "Ow, watch it!" He hissed as Mido pawed at his broken arm, "It's not fixed yet. Hey, what's that?"

Mido dropped the black sphere in front of Naruto and explained that Zabuza, upon his death, had been converted into a condensed packet of biomass and DNA.

_Hey Alex, if I eat this, will my arm heal?_ He asked.

_Yes. It'll probably hurt, though. I mean, you've got to deal with all the fragments of bone moving around to repair itself-_

_Fun._

_-And then you have to deal with the memories that Zabuza accumulated over his life. And don't think you can just skip it like you did for those swordsmen. You've got nothing else to do, so you'll have no imminent disaster to distract you._

_I have Hinata on my lap._

_I noticed. She's not doing anything, and she probably won't for a while. So why don't you just get it over with?_

_Fine!_ Grumbling to himself, Naruto picked up the ball. "Oi, Ga-san...once and for all, can I trust you?"

Ga's mouth twitched. "Well, I can't convince you with words alone; that would not be right. So here's your first lesson of being a Gorem: if you use a person's Given Name in a command, within certain limits, you can get them to obey. This is known by us as the Skulduggery Principle." He leaned in, his face suddenly serious. "My name is not Ga. My name is Nord Baro. Use that knowledge now; if you command me to not harm you, I will be forced to comply."

_Is this legit, Alex?_

To say Alex was surprised was an understatement. _Oh, it is,_ He said, _By giving you his Given Name, as well as permission to use it in such a way, he will obey any command you give him. You should probably give him an order that is very specific, so as not to conflict with anything that might happen in the future._

Naruto thought, trying to come up with a command that would ensure his safety, at least while he was consuming Zabuza. "Ga- no, Nord Baro-san," He said, opening his eyes and putting as commanding a tone as he could, "I am going to do something that will, hopefully, heal the arm that you broke. However, I will be incapacitated for an indeterminate amount of time. Until that time is up and I can move again, do not attempt to harm either myself or Hinata. You may move us if necessary, but do nothing else. **Do you understand?"**

Nord choked for a moment as the command took a hold. It was a disturbing feeling, like a series of tiny, ice-cold wires were being drawn tight across his body, constricting his movement. "I...understand," He said shakily.

Naruto blinked, confused. For a split second, he thought he had seen those wires himself. In any case, something in the back of his head told him that whatever had happened worked. "Good. Now all I have to do is..." He gulped and carefully placed the ball of biomass between his teeth. Bracing himself for the pain, he bit down hard. The sphere cracked and shattered into large pieces quite satisfactorily, the chunks dissolving quickly. Then Naruto began to scream. The fragments of bone in his right arm began to shift. The blueprint of his DNA indicated that the pieces belonged as a whole and were supposed to be elsewhere. The Blacklight virus, catalyzed by the bio-sphere, was now demanding that the blueprint be followed and was enforcing that demand. Within seconds and with an awful grinding, the fragments sealed back into place, the break mending instantly. The rest of the absorbed biomass swirled within his body, trying to store itself in a void. Unable to find one, it found the next best thing and settled within the boy's bones, marrow, and many internal organs, strengthening each in turn to make sure they would not be hurt so easily next time.

Naruto slumped as the pain finally subsided. However, he was almost immediately swarmed by memories. Unlike Haku's, the images were not as clear; everything was jumbled and dark. However, some snatches of words stood out in his mind. Some were Zabuza's own words, while most seemed to belong to others.

_A darkened classroom. "Hey kid, what are doing he- AAAARGH!"_

"_Quick someone stop hi- gagh!"_

"_Th-this boy…he killed everyone!"_

"_A demon…"_

_A bingo book. "Kirigakure no Kaijin, eh? I like it."_

_A council room. He's being presented with a sword, Kubikiri Bocho no less! "Zabuza Momochi, you are hereby accepted into the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist."_

_That annoying little girl is following him "Oi, brat, get lost. I'm not a babysitter."_

"_I have nowhere to go…"_

"_Tell someone who cares, kid."_

_An entire lake, frozen. "Okay kid, you've proved your worth." _Holy crap, I thought there weren't any Hyoton users left!

"_Th-thank you, Zabuza-sama!"_

_"Sama? Well, if the shoe fits..."_

_A bar. "Hey, you."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Are you the mercenary, Ga?"_

"_I prefer assassin, but yes. Who's asking?"_

"_Zabuza Momochi."_

"_The nuke-nin from Kirigakure who tried to kill the Mizukage?"_

"_Yeah, what's it to you?"_

"_Nothing! What do you want?"_

"…_Keep this quiet, but I have an assistant, to help me avoid the hunter-nins. She's real handy with a Hyoton bloodline, but she hasn't got the guts to kill. She's starting to grow a bit…unhelpful too, talking back and such."_

"_You want me to get rid of her?"_

"_No…not yet, at least. I have one last job with her, but I'll need some more assistance."_

"_Mine?"_

"_Yeah. I'll be sure to pay after I kill the old geezer I was hired to take out. You in?"_

_Was it his imagination, or did he detect disapproval behind that scarf? "…If I must…"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Nothing, nothing. I'm in. Just don't cheat me out of my pay!"_

[Memory end]

Naruto opened his eyes. He winced slightly at the bright light and scowled up at Ga- no, Nord, who had not moved from where he was.

Before he could say anything, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked around to see Kakashi frowning down at him. "Are you alright, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, glancing back at the mercenary, only to find that he'd gone. "Where's Ga?" He asked. He felt it would be a bad idea to give the man's real name away so freely.

Kakashi blinked. "Ga was here?"

"Yeah. He basically said that he's not gonna fight anymore, now that Zabuza's dead. The moment you appeared, he just vanished."

The Jonin's frown deepened further. "I hope he's not gone for good; we still don't know what happened to Kurenai and the others."

"Oh, I forgot all about them!" Ga popped out of nowhere, causing Kakashi to spin and drop into a Taijutsu stance again, "Oi, oi, didn't your student already explain? Zabuza's dead. I'm not getting paid. Therefore, I don't care about fighting that much anymore."

"That still doesn't explain what you did with Kurenai."

Ga looked slightly sheepish. He quickly made a hand-seal and flared his chakra. "Kai!" There was a sharp crack and the missing Jonin, plus Genin, toppled out of a jagged hole in the air, which vanished behind them. "There," Ga said pleasantly, "I brought them back. Happy?"

"Who- what?" Kurenai was a total mess. Being stuck in a never-ending maze seemingly without hope of escape and then miraculously returning home would seriously disorientate anyone.

Sasuke came running up, followed by Tazuna. "Is it over?" He asked, panting, "Are the enemies dead?"

"Uh, no," Said Ga, drawing attention back to himself, "I'm still here."

Most of the Genin stiffened, fear flashing across their faces. Kurenai just scowled. "Am I to take it he's on our side now?" She asked Kakashi, a note of exasperation in her voice. When Kakashi nodded, she turned to the assassin and said, "Don't think this means I'll forget what you did."

Ga just stuck out his tongue. "Bite me. I beat you fair and square."

Even as Kurenai barely restrained herself from diving on the man, Naruto saw somebody approaching. It was Haku, her head hanging and an aura of gloom over her. Naruto sighed quietly. Then, gathering Hinata in his arms and lifting her, he stood up. "I'm going over there for a moment," He told Kakashi, who nodded, still eyeing Ga apprehensively. While it was entirely possible for the man to have switched sides (He was, after all, a mercenary), but that didn't mean they'd drop their guard any time soon…

As he left Ga to face the suspicion of his comrades, Naruto felt Hinata stir feebly in his arms. Glancing down, he saw her eyes open a tiny bit. "Naruto…kun…" She croaked weakly.

He just smiled. "Hey, Hina-chan. I wondered when you'd wake up."

"I'm…I'm alive?" The Hyuuga girl asked, her voice gaining strength and disbelief, "B-but, I thought that-"

Naruto chuckled. "Turns out those needles from Haku-chan only put you in a death-like state, like Zabuza."

Hinata closed her eyes, relieved beyond words."Thank goodness..." She murmured. Then she frowned. "Why are you going towards her?" She asked, suddenly apprehensive.

It was Haku who answered, having seen them approach "I don't want to fight anymore," She insisted, a note of frustration in her voice.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not going to fight you," Naruto shot back calmly. Then his expression softened slightly. "Sorry about Zabuza."

Haku shrugged. "Thank you. Not for the apology, but for caring enough to apologize."

"He must have meant a lot to you," Hinata murmured, looking up at the other girl.

Another shrug. "Not really. He was rather difficult to live with, most of the time. But he was like a father to me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the lackluster tone in Haku's voice. "That didn't sound very enthusiastic."

Haku just blinked and wryly replied, "I said he was like a father. I never said he was like a good one."

Hinata winced. She, in particular, could feel the heat of that burn.

Naruto glanced to the side, avoiding Haku's gaze. He could recall from Zabuza's memories that the man had been less of a good person than even she knew. The man had been planning to bump her off, for Log's sake! Still, he had the impression that Ga wouldn't kill her, not now that there was no point.

(With Ga/Nord)

Nord sighed again as both Jonin regarded him with barely concealed suspicion. The other Genin had left quickly once they caught sight of him (After an experience like theirs, who could blame them?), leaving their senseis to keep an eye on him while they stood guard around Tazuna. While he could understand the reasoning behind the suspicion, it was very annoying for the Wind Elemental to be doubted like this. He shifted his weight to his right leg to see if it had healed from Naruto's stab. For the most part, it had, though he still felt feverish from the youki in his veins. It would have to do for now.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Somehow unnoticed, a large mob of thugs had managed to sneak up behind the group. Each man carried a spear or sword and looked as menacing as a non-shinobi could get. The crowd parted to reveal a short, balding man with a pair of sunglasses and a cast on his arm, along with an expensive-looking suit. This was obviously Gato himself, here to gloat about his power and apparent victory (and suit). "Where's Zabuza?" The businessman sneered, looking around disdainfully, "Did he run off like a coward?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "He's dead," He said shortly, discreetly signaling to Kurenai to get into a defensive position.

Gato looked pleased by this news. "Oh good! That means I won't have to waste time killing him myself. I swear, Shinobi cost far too much for too little work." Then he caught sight of Haku and scowled. "So you're still alive, eh? Good, I was meaning to get some payback for my arm, you little bitch!"

Haku just snorted derisively. "Me, little? That would be the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn't it, Shorty?

Ga, as well as some of the thugs Gato had brought with him, snickered. "Shut up!" the man screeched, his face reddening with anger. Then, composing himself, he smirked back at her. "On second thought, go ahead. Make your little jokes; once my men are finished killing your little friends-"

"Again with the little," Ga mumbled, his fingers twitching slightly.

"-I'll deal with you. You'll never be able to beat all of these men now that you're all tired out. Then," He paused for dramatic effect, drawing some rolled eyes from Tazuna, "Well, I hear Kumo's been looking for a bloodline like yours." Then he leered at Naruto, and Hinata in his arms. "Also, that girl is a Hyuuga, isn't she? Now, _she'll_ fetch a high price from Kumo as well. This must be my lucky day!"

Hinata gave a tiny whimper and buried her face in Naruto's chest at the first mention of the Cloud Village. When the business man turned his attention to her, she began to shake badly enough to warrant Naruto changing his grip on her. He growled at Gato; no one was going to take Hinata anywhere if he could help it.

Gato just laughed at the look on the blond boy's face. Turning around, he walked back into the crowd of thugs. "Take care of 'em, boys. Oh, and a nice bonus to the one who gets the bridge-builder!"

A cheer went up at these words. Then Ga stepped forward. "Excuse me?" He called, his eyes shut as he rubbed at his temples, "Yes, you, the cowardly midget in the suit! Is there gonna be any action anytime soon, or are you just gonna monologue some more?" Both Kakashi and Kurenai sweat-dropped at the mercenary's blasé attitude. "I mean, seriously! Evil monologues are reserved for the Big Bads only! Hate to tell you this pal, but you don't qualify for the Big Bad status; you're just a prick, as well as a douche! IN A SUIT!"

Gato trembled with rage. "Another bonus to the guy who kills _him!"_ He yelled, pointing accusingly at Ga.

Rolling his eyes, the blond man somehow managed to speak up over the armed men charging towards him. "Well, in that case, I only have two things to say here. First is this. **Blow, Level 2: Gust!"** The ground at his feet kicked up dust as the air swirled around him, taking on a green glow. Ga snapped his fans closed and summoned up blades of wind chakra from the ends. "Second is **Kaze no Yaiba!"** He yelled, his teeth suddenly bared and sharp. He sprang forward, becoming a gray-green blur, weaving and darting back and forth.

The men attempted to bring their weapons to bear, only for their spears to be cut to pieces, their swords snapped by the sheer sharpness of Ga's Kaze no Yaiba. Where he passed in his moth-like erratic movements, long cuts opened on his opponents' bodies, blood spraying into the air as they fell. None of the fluid touched him, seeming to avoid the space through which he walked. Halfway through, however, Ga seemed to become inexplicably bored and streaked back to his starting position. The glowing green blades dissipated. "How about I mix things up a bit?" He asked no one in particular, **"Fuuton: Kyu Kakudai!" (Wind Release: Rapid Expansion)** The air in the midst of the rest of the crowd exploded outwards, sending men and body parts flying every which way. Ga raised his arms and made a swirling motion. **"Hasai Kiatsu!" (Shredding Cyclone)** Now the air turned in on itself and roared. A dark green tornado materialized instantly, sucking the bandits back inside and carving them to pieces, before vanishing just as quickly. "Holy shit, that was easy," Ga said to himself, stepping through the puddles of blood to get to Gato.

Kakashi was stunned. "Incredible," He breathed to his fellow Jonin, "He used such powerful wind techniques, but he's not even tired! Not only that, but he did them seallessly!"

Kurenai nodded grimly. _No wonder I lost, fighting that,_ She thought.

Having miraculously survived the spontaneous storm unharmed, Gato did the only thing that made sense. He turned tail and ran. _I won't die! I can't die! Maybe if I offer him money he'll leave me alone! What do you think, suit?_ But even as he turned to try and bribe his attacker, he shrieked with fear and kept running.

Ga snickered as he walked. Honestly, show a human the illusion of a minotaur and they ran like rats! Understandable _and_ hilarious! He focused again on his illusionary power, seeming to create a wall blocking Gato's way off the bridge.

Gato gibbered and screamed as he clawed at the high stone wall in front of him. _Damn it, where did this even come from?_ He chanced a glance back at the monster. However, instead of the immense minotaur that had just been chasing him, there was now a man in gray and green clothing, a long scarf trailing from his shoulders.

"What's the matter, Gato?" Ga asked, reveling in the fear he was causing, "Run out of goons to throw at me? That's just too bad! I was starting to have fun, too."

"P-please," Gato sniveled, "I'll give you anything you want! Money, drugs, whatever, just don't kill-" The cowardly businessman's pleas were abruptly cut off. A cube of glowing, green energy had appeared out of the air, trapping Gato within it.

"Shut up," Ga said mildly, his hand raised, "Right now, the only thing I want is to kill you, maggot. What's that?" he asked mockingly, pretending to put his ear to the cube as Gato beat uselessly at the wall, "'Where the hell did this come from?' Oh, don't worry; it's nothing for you to worry about." He suddenly scowled and curled the fingers of his upheld hand. The green cube began to shrink, with Gato screaming and clawing at the side even harder, mindless of his broken wrist. "After all, dead men have no need for knowledge." The fingers clenched in a fist. The cube shot down to the size of a breadbox and turned a disturbing shade of brown and red. There was a pause. "Fuck. I think I screwed up my one-liner," Ga cursed. With a dismissive wave, he sent the box flying over the side of the bridge, whereupon it vanished and deposited Gato's remains in the ocean.

The Konoha-nin all had different reactions. Kakashi sweat-dropped at the one-liner comment, while Kurenai face-palmed. Tazuna was torn between wanting to worship the man and still being wary of him, since he had sided with the man who had wanted to kill him. Sakura was trying not to be sick at the sight of all the carnage that had been wrought by one man. Sasuke was in awe, though he tried to keep his face blank. Shino looked much the same as always, but one could hear from the amount of buzzing under his coat that he was severely agitated. Kiba was shaking with fear, with Akamaru hiding behind his legs. Hinata hadn't been looking in the first place, remaining curled up in Naruto's arms. Haku felt a great deal of respect for Ga. Naruto...simply stared at the man who had proclaimed himself to be his ally.

_Is this...the power of a Gorem?_ He thought. One corner of his mouth tugged upward in a half-grin, showing an array of pointed teeth. "Unreal," He whispered to himself. Even as he tightened his hold on Hinata, something stirred in his stomach.

Something that felt very similar to hunger.

A rustling from behind the group made them all turn. Standing at the other end of the bridge were the villagers of Wave, all armed with whatever they could apparently get their hands on. Even Inari was carrying a small crossbow, though he seemed to have forgotten to find any bolts to go with it. "Are we too late to help?" One farmer asked, hefting a hoe threateningly.

Tazuna's eye twitched. "Yeah, you are! Gato's already been killed off."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"Dead?"  
"Did he say Gato's dead?"  
"We're free!"

The bridge erupted in a storm of cheers. People threw their makeshift weapons in the air, danced with each other, and even started singing.

Ga took a (nervous?) step back. "They seem...happy," He observed, startled by the sudden change in the atmosphere.

Tazuna laughed. "Of course we are!" He said, "You just killed the tyrant who's been basically enslaving us for the past few years. Not only will I be able to complete my bridge on time, but we won't have to worry about his thugs taking away our people for slave labor."

"Ah..." The mercenary put a hand to the side of his neck and rubbed it uneasily, avoiding the bridge-builder's eye. "It-it's no problem!" He mumbled, a faint flush appearing on his face.

Kurenai's jaw dropped, though she quickly noticed and shut it. _Is he _embarrassed? she thought, surprised.

Kiba also noticed the change in demeanor. _What the hell? I got beat by a guy who acts like Hinata?_ He simmered with sudden humiliation.

Hinata had, by this time, come out of her stupor and saw the odd spectacle. She, however, was able to identify the cause of his discomfort. "He's not used to being treated like he is now," She said quietly to Naruto, with Haku listening in, "I think he's a little shy when faced with an actual compliment."

"Huh." Naruto looked back at the man who had seen fit to entrust him with his real name. "Maybe he's not such a bad guy," He said wonderingly. He remembered the look of disapproval on Ga- no, Nord's face when Zabuza had approached him. He also remembered Alex mentioning a Voice that drove Gormim to do things they didn't always want to. It wasn't that difficult to put two and two together.

The thought of that Voice made him freeze, then glance at Haku. _There was a voice in her memory too,_ he thought, frowning, _was that what made her act so strangely before?_

Naruto received a mental shrug from Alex. _It would explain how she knew how to do chantments,_ he said. _But I think things just got more confusing,_ he thought to himself, _there's something more going on here._

Then the elder Blacklight stiffened as a scrap of paper fluttered across his vision. Given what was written on it, he knew that only he could see it.

Really, Zeus...did you think that you were the first Gorem to tread upon this world?

Those words brought a chill to him, as only the Voice could.

(Centerplane: Binary Compound)

Sophie Binarius was not known as a serious or even mature person. She had her dad to do that for her. For her, everything was to be done in as fun a way as possible. Ironically, her current activity was meant to be fun; it was, in fact, most frustrating. "FUCKING DAMN IT!" She yelled, flinging down her controller as her character was flung off-screen once more, "Some king you are," She grumbled, quickly picking the device back up as she respawned, "C'mon, you overweight penguin! Kick that stupid princess's ass!"

A small giggle from her side drew an angry look from Sophie. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," She groused.

Her opponent just smiled and paused the game, drawing another curse from the pigtailed girl. "Perhaps you should have your head checked, _sensei,_" The other girl said mischievously, "Talking to video game characters can't be a good sign for anything."

"Watch it, brat," Sophie grunted, trying to reach over and hit the other's pause button, "I can always take out your mind and swap it with my character's." She took a deep breath to calm down, looking at her former student.

The girl had silky, long, dark blue hair, which was tied in a braid and hung down her back, leaving a pair of strands to frame her pale face. A single, pale lavender eye glanced challengingly back at her. The other eye was obscured by a black eye-patch, adorned by a small yellow sun. "But sensei!" The girl gasped in mock-horror, "You wouldn't take advantage of a poor, half-blind girl, would you?"

Sophie rolled her own eyes. "You're forgetting something. I'm the one who put that other eye under there, so I know for a fact that you're not half-blind. You just wear that patch cause you know Chimera gets turned on by it."

The girl 'eep'd' and flushed scarlet. "N-no he doesn't!" She stammered, pretty much admitting otherwise, "And _don't_ call him that, it's not nice!"

The daughter of Carlos sighed, her shoulders sagging tiredly. "Hinata, everyone calls him that," She said wearily, "Hell, he's the one that started it; it's what he calls himself on missions. Even if you say it's not nice, you can't deny that it describes Naruto pretty damn well."

"But..." The alternate version of Hinata Hyuuga tried to find an argument, couldn't, then deflated. "Let's just get back to the game," She muttered, un-pausing.

Sophie half-leapt, half-leaned forward as the game resumed. "Ha, take that!" She cried as she landed an attack on her opponent. They continued for another few minutes in near silence. "Hey, Hinata," She began, trying to distract the one-eyed girl, "What _do_ you do with the eye-patch when the two of you go at it?"

Hinata froze, blushing an even darker color than before. "Well, w-we..." She mumbled, looking away from the screen.

"Gotcha now!"

"Eh? Wha-wait, th-that's not fair! _Sensei~!"_

AN: Oh, I am _so_ evil sometimes! Chapter 18, complete! Now, I don't feel this chapter is the best I've ever done, but you guys know what? I don't care all that much. It's done.

Now, summary time!  
1. When Naruto uses youki, it gives him a boost in terms of speed and power, while making him more inclined to act instinctively. I don't really feel like I showed this in the best way, but whatever.  
2. Nord gets yet another moment of glory in this chapter. I think this chapter was kinda dedicated to him or something. In his **Level 1** state, he can alter air pressure to act as armor.  
3. When Nord grabbed Naruto's arm, he was taking advantage of an unusual fact about his Elemental physiology. As a member of the Baro house, Nord does not have bones. Instead, he has pockets of condensed air to keep his body up in place of bones. This allows him to bend in any way he wants.  
4. Youki is rather poisonous/corrosive for anyone who is not a Jinchuuriki. While Naruto just feels heat, Nord felt a lot more pain when Naruto injected him in the leg.  
5. I really don't know what I was doing when I wrote Haku's little suicidal scene. I hope you guys don't hate it too much.  
6. Yep, Hinata's still alive. And yes, Zabuza's dead, making Nord/Ga an ally.  
7. Python-Mido finally gets some action, while Kakashi shows off some of his copied jutsu. I actually felt like I knew what I was doing in the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi.  
8. The seal that Mido placed on Zabuza converts the victim into biomass for consumption upon death. Needless to say, Naruto now has some new skills, while Haku's emotions are all over the place.  
9. Nord tells Naruto his real name and gives him his first inter-dimensional lesson. Those of you who recognize the 'Skulduggery Principle' may nod your head in respect. The effects described for using a person's Given Name were made up by me.  
10. Consuming a person usually helps to kick-start Blacklight regeneration.  
11. Zabuza's memories were in a different style from Haku's. For a dark person like Zabuza, it just seemed appropriate. Also, I wouldn't say that I bashed him in this fic, I'm just implying that it might have been a good thing that he's dead. Don't worry, Haku will soon know.  
12. Not much NaruHina in this chapter. Next one, though, I promise to give a good aftermath to the confession. Maybe a return of Drunken Hina.  
13. Gato shows up. When my sister got to reading that part, she started making jokes about his suit, which will make sense if you read the Omake below.  
14. Hinata doesn't like the K-word.  
15. That's right, Nord shows off some more. His **Level 2** State allows him to freely use Wind based moves without handseals. Overpowered? Maybe, but he's a fucking _Wind_ Elemental, it's his damn job!  
16. Slight reference to Sarge from RvB with the one-liner comment.  
17. Sophie Binarius was introduced back in chapter 10 as Carlos's younger sister. I changed the details a bit so she's his daughter. She enjoys video games. Except when she loses. That's what you get when you play as Dedede.  
18. Ladies and whatsit, allow me to introduce the Hinata Hyuuga from my Perfection fic. Since the events of that fic have already happened, that version of Naruto and Hinata are already a part of the Gormim. Also, in that fic, **(Spoiler Alert!) Sophie was their sensei. Gormim can change their physical age, which is how she would have been older than them in that lifetime. Also, as before, details have been changed. (End Spoiler)** From her appearance, you can sort of guess at what happened to that Hinata.

And now, for another Omake! Yay!

Omake: The true mastermind

Gato: What do you think, suit?

Suit: _"I think you should kill them all!"_

Gato: Yes, Master Marik...

(Gato's first name is Steve)

Well, that's it for now. Until next time, North South out!


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Hello guys, it's North South again. I thought I'd get started on chapter 19 already, so here it is. Since I've been getting some complaints about how Naruto hasn't gotten that much screen-time, action-wise, this chapter will have some Blacklight Naruto awesomeness. Enjoy! Also, please check out my other story, Tales of the Centerplane! It might not be much, but it has stuff about the Gormim in it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own the Gormim.

"Speech"  
/Translation/alternate language\  
_Thoughts__  
Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental Form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 19: Aftermath, life before, ambush, and the cat's out of the bag

With the death of Gato, the people of Wave immediately began celebrating. While there wasn't that much in the way of food for the impromptu party, there was definitely plenty of sake to drink. However, even as the party dragged on into the night, the Konoha ninja refused to participate, feeling that they should spend their time recuperating. As a result, most of Teams 7 and 8 found themselves sitting around the ground floor of Tazuna's home. Hinata was still weak from Haku's induced death-like state, so was made to rest upstairs. Naruto had steadfastly stayed with her, overriding all objections by Kakashi and Kiba.

However, the atmosphere was far from relaxed; both Haku and Ga had also taken up residence in the bridge-builder's home as well, so the other Shinobi could keep an eye on them. Haku, at least, was docile, having not put up any resistance. She just sat at the kitchen table, silently morose. Ga, on the other hand...

Kurenai's eye twitched as the hired man chatted amiably with Tsunami, who had also deigned to stay behind. For the past few hours, he had been talking about all of the things he had seen in his career, some of which didn't sound the least bit likely to the Jonin. For instance, the fact that he had apparently been to Sora no Kuni, which had been destroyed back in the Second Great Shinobi War. Or how he came to the Elemental Nations by water-walking the whole way. Everyone knew that people didn't have the use of chakra in the countries over the seas, Alex-sensei being an example. These fabrications were frustrating to listen to, but Tsunami seemed to find them amusing.

Finally, the unknown ninja grew tired of talking and pulled out a storage scroll. Kurenai tensed, but what came out of the resultant smoke was, of all things, a pair of knitting needles, several balls of yarn, and a half-finished scarf. The red-eyed Jonin wanted to bash her head against the wall at such inanity. Unbeknownst to the assembled Konoha-nin, however, they were not the only ones on edge. Nord was far too polite to say anything, but being in the small house was grating on his nerves. He did not like being in small, enclosed spaces for long.

Shino regarded the man with a twitching eyebrow, his Kikai buzzing gently within his coat. Many regarded the Aburame as being logical people, and this was certainly true. Ga's insistence on telling such illogical tales was driving the poor boy to distraction.

Sasuke was feeling thoroughly disillusioned. This_ is the man who killed Gato and his guards?_ The Uchiha thought disgustedly.

_This guy knits? What a girly thing to do,_ Kiba thought with equal disgust, _I can't believe a guy like this beat me! Though I guess he did cheat and use Genjutsu._

Sakura was trying not to look at Ga, but she was scared that the man who had caused as much trouble as Zabuza, and had been able to knock her out with ease, was now sitting calmly in the same room as them.

Kakashi had just put his head down and gone to sleep from Ga's story telling.

As it was, only Ga and Tsunami noticed Haku quietly stand up and walk over to the stairs, where she ascended. Nord just glanced at their hostess and shrugged ruefully, before resuming his next scarf.

(Upstairs)

Hinata opened her eyes into near-total darkness. For a moment she thought she'd really died this time, then realized she was being silly; it was just nighttime. Turning her head to the side, she saw a silhouette looming over her. The glint of blue and brown told her who it was. "Hello, Naruto-kun," She said quietly, "Have you been watching me sleep this whole time?"

"Yep," Naruto replied solidly, "And no, I don't really care if that's creepy."

Hinata just laughed. "That's so like you," She sighed, "Or rather, like you've b-been for the past few months." She paused, noticing that they were alone. "Where is everyone?"

Naruto shrugged. "Downstairs. Everyone wanted to keep an eye on Nor- uh, I mean Ga."

However, she caught the slip-up. "I'd forgotten that Ga was not his real name," She said thoughtfully.

He nodded in agreement. "He told me his real name to get me to trust him. His real name's Nord Baro and he's definitely a Gorem."

Hinata gasped slightly. "A G-Gorem?" She asked, surprised. Then she frowned slightly, "Wait, why am I s-surprised? It explains so much of his odd behavior. Why did he switch sides? I thought he was working with Zabuza and Haku."

"Zabuza died. Kakashi-sensei killed him," Naruto explained simply, a flat finality in his tone "Then I consumed him."

Hinata felt a slight chill. "O-oh," She said, not knowing what to say. Then, "Was…was that your first time consuming someone?" She asked quietly.

Naruto thought about it. "No, actually," He said, "When I was left at Tazuna's place, these two swordsmen showed up to try and kidnap Tsunami. Needless to say, they didn't get away. I consumed them, too. I ended up having to give my extra biomass to Mido, which is why he's huge now. I'll have to fix that later. Anyway, when I consumed them, I knew that Gato would be planning to betray Zabuza, which also told me he'd be attacking the bridge. Since there weren't going to be any more people attacking the house, I went to help you guys at the bridge and, well...you know what happened then." He finally wound down, gazing at the girl's pale lavender orbs.

Hinata gazed back up at him and saw something in those mismatched eyes. A quiet desperation, a question that he clearly wanted to ask but didn't know how to ask. "What is it, Naruto-kun?" She asked gently.

Naruto gulped and hesitantly, shakily, asked. "What...what you said to me, on the bridge..." Why was this so _difficult_ to voice? "Did you mean it? Do you," He paused and said quietly, as if afraid to say the word, "Do you really l-love me?"

The Hyuuga heiress relaxed with relief and smiled. With much effort, she raised her hand and lightly brushed Naruto's cheek. "Yes, I meant it," She said, with more conviction in her voice than the blond boy had ever heard her use before, "I meant every word I said on that bridge. I'll even say it again if you want; 'I love you, Naruto Uzumaki.'" She closed her eyes blissfully, "Oh, dear Log in the woods, that feels so _good!_" She said in a fierce whisper, "I've been wanting to say that for years and now I can! I love you, Naruto-kun, I love you, I love you, _I love you!_"

Naruto's heart jumped at this declaration and a smile spread across his face. Inside his head he could hear Kina cheering and dancing a little victory dance. Then he leaned down and gently bumped his forehead against Hinata's, cutting off her little babble. "Trust me, it feels just as good to hear it. But now for the big question," he said quietly, locking eyes with her, "Why?"

This seemed to deflate her a little. "Ah," She murmured sadly. She quickly composed herself. "I think it started back when I was very young, when I went with my guard, Ko, for a walk in the village. I saw you standing in the middle of the street; a little blond boy, skinny, wearing a shirt far too big for you, just standing there, shouting about how you would become the Hokage. Everyone was trying to ignore you, but I could hear them whispering about you. It...I don't know, I think I felt curious mostly, and just a little sorry for you," She smiled apologetically at the small grimace on Naruto's face, "I saw how no one would pay any attention to you and I just...just wanted to walk up to you and say...something. I don't really know what, but I wanted you to see that somebody acknowledged you."

"Why didn't you?" He asked quietly, "During that time of my life, that was all I wanted from the villagers." There was a note of hurt in his voice

Hinata found his hand with her own and squeezed it gently. "I wanted to, but Ko told me not to. He said that you were not someone that I should associate with and even nearly let something slip about the Kyuubi, though he wouldn't tell me what he meant when I asked." She saw Naruto's face darken at this and said quickly, "Ko was the one of the few of my family members who legitimately cared about my wellbeing and my happiness. He was just wrong in that regard."

Naruto relaxed slightly, before suddenly shifting his position to lie next to her, side by side. "I'm both happy and sad to hear that, given what you've already told me about those-" He cut himself off to take a deep breath. "Please continue," He said calmly.

"Thank you. Anyway, for the next few years I would keep seeing you around, still shouting about your dreams. Each time I wanted to go over to you but Ko would stop me, but I still felt sympathy for you, seeing you all alone. I had to content myself with hoping you would eventually find someone else who would care." She squeezed his hand again, this time in apology. He squeezed back, looking sideways at her with a small smile. She continued. "Then, a few years later, Tou-san started having me spar against Hanabi-chan. I had been having trouble with my Jyuuken, so somebody came up with the brilliant idea of having me fight someone weaker as practice, IE: my sister. It didn't work, I just couldn't bring myself to fight Hanabi, so she always beat me. Every time she did, Tou-san grew more and more disappointed with me..." She closed her eyes, trying to stop the single tear that traced down her cheek as she remembered that detail. "One day, I just felt so humiliated after being defeated that I ran away. Nowhere in particular, just away from my stupid family. But then, because I wasn't looking where I was going, I bumped into these three civilian boys. I...don't quite remember what happened next, but we ended up in the forest. They saw that I was a Hyuuga and they were not happy about it. Apparently they went to the academy with Neji and he had annoyed them for some reason, so they wanted me, his relative, to make up for it."

Naruto raised his head and looked at her, his heterochromic eyes wide. "Okay, this is starting to sound a little wrong," he said.

Hinata quirked an eyebrow at him, confused. Then she turned slightly green. "Ew, no! That's not what I meant! I was, like, eight or something at the time. But anyway, they made me get on my knees and apologize to them, both for bumping into them and for Neji humiliating them."

"Bastards," Naruto growled.

"It got better," she told him, "Because then you showed up. You told them to leave me alone because you didn't like seeing a little girl like me get picked on. When they didn't back down, you did the Bunshin no Jutsu, then tackled the leader when he laughed at your clone."

Naruto frowned, thinking. "Yeah, I think I remember that day." Then a look of comprehension came over his face. "Wait, that girl was you? You were so cute back then! Er, not that you're not _now,_ but…"

Hinata flushed crimson, briefly thanking the Log that it was so dark. "But then the other boys got their bearings and you got beaten up. I wanted to help, but I was too afraid. Then Ko found me and chased off the boys. I wanted to stay and help you, since you'd been knocked out, but Ko wouldn't hear of it and dragged me away. I think at that point, my feelings toward you grew into a...well, something a bit more," She said, a small, regretful smile on her face.

Naruto grinned at that, though that was his only reaction.

She continued. "A year or so after that, I joined the academy, so I got to see you around a couple of times, since you were two years ahead of me...why were you two years ahead, by the way?"

"Jiji arranged it. I can't quite remember why."

"Oh, okay. So one day, after class had ended, I tried to talk to you. I waited until you walked out before approaching you. I tried to say hello, but..." Hinata's lips tightened and a few more tears slipped out, "You didn't even notice me! You just walked right past without even looking at me. That hurt. It hurt a lot."

Naruto looked pained. "Oh god. I'm so sorry, Hinata. I must have been pretty preoccupied to not notice something like that."

"No," the blue-haired girl sighed, "I'm as much to blame as you are. I just couldn't bring myself to try again. I guess I started being afraid of asking and being rejected outright." That got another wince from Naruto. "And as my academy years went by, my family became even more strict with me; they stopped whispering their insults behind my back and called me worthless to my face...well, except Hanabi. And I started second-guessing myself in whatever I did. I was afraid of making mistakes and becoming even more worthless. The only thing that I seemed to do right was cry and make all the wrong choices." At this, Naruto moved, putting an arm under Hinata's shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. She took a moment to appreciate the warmth of the body next to her before continuing. "But there was you. I saw how you were ignored, abandoned, even had your dream belittled, but through it all you kept up that smile, even if it was false, and you never, ever gave up. I watched you train endlessly, even on the things that you had trouble with. You...you inspired me. I still felt like I could never become good enough, but I at least felt that I should try like I believed otherwise. At that point, I think my feelings for you became a full-on crush, but I could still only observe you from a distance."

Naruto nodded, still holding her in his arms. "So, when did it become full-blown love?" he asked tentatively.

Hinata laughed slightly and buried her face in his chest. "I'm not quite sure when it happened. It's very hard to tell when a crush becomes actual love, I think. But it might have been around when you decided that you trusted me enough to tell me the truth about Kina-san and Alex-san. From what you said at the time, you had only just found out about them yourself, but you still trusted me, even though you'd barely spoken to me until then. I don't know, but it's come full circle, hasn't it? I love you and now you know."

Naruto squeezed her tightly, feeling happier than he had in a long time. "All this time and I never realized it…" he murmured, "I really am an idiot, aren't I?" He held her away slightly, to get a good look at her. "Hinata?"

She was slightly thrown off-guard by the lack of an honorific. "Hai?" she asked, "What is it, Naruto-ku- mmph!" She gave a muffled squeak as Naruto kissed her on the lips. Hinata's brain overloaded from the sensation. _He…he kissed me! Naruto-kun _kissed _me!_ They both lay on the floor, quiet with their lips pressed together. Finally, after a minute, Naruto broke away.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "But I've actually been wanting to do that for a while now. Besides," he grinned widely at her shocked face, "You haven't stuttered once since you started talking. I felt that you deserved something."

"That was my first kiss," Hinata whispered, her face practically glowing in the dark.

He twitched at the tone of her voice. _Ah, crap, that doesn't sound good,_ he thought, suddenly worried. "Er, well," he said nervously, "If-if it makes you feel any better, that was my...my first one, too." _Great, now _I'm_ freaking blushing._ "And look at it this way, it could have been with Kiba!"

That caused Hinata to laugh. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun, I'm not angry at you," She giggled, "It's just that I'd always imagined my first kiss being with you and now…" She broke off and looked away, blushing again. "I seem to be very honest, tonight," She said, more to herself than Naruto, "Normally I'd faint before I could get the words out…Naruto-kun, did you give me some biomass before you woke me up?" Hinata asked shrewdly.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Er, a little," he admitted, "Just to heal the puncture marks from the senbon."

"That explains it," she sighed, "I could never be this brave on my own. Ow!"

Naruto had flicked her forehead. "Don't start that 'I'm weak' crap again," he said sternly, pointing at a bewildered Hinata, "I might have given you a bit of biomass to start with, but that was all you just a minute ago. Besides which, you willingly Kawirimi'd into a dome of needles, knowing you might die! If that's not courage, then what is it?"

_Stupidity,_ chorused Kina and Alex.

_Oh shut up, both of you._

Hinata was clearly thinking the same thing, but she just pursed her lips. "You're not making a good case for me," she said, mock-depressed. She butted her head lightly against Naruto's chest. "Naruto?" she asked quietly.

"Nn?"

"I still love you, Naruto."

There was a moment in which Naruto tried to find the right reply. Then, gazing into the pools of pearly lavender that were her eyes, he found it. "I love you too, Hinata." This time she kissed him. He couldn't help but close his eyes, as did she. Both put as much positive emotion into the act as they could.

When they finally broke apart, Alex just said, _Score._

_What?_

_Nothing._

Before Naruto could further question his other tenant, he sat upright, staring ahead. Mido, who had been prowling outside, had just sent a message to him. "I need to go," He told the Hyuuga girl. He sprang to his feet and ran to the door. He slid it open and said, "'Scuse me," To Haku, who stood just outside, and edging past her.

"I- wait, Naruto-san!" Haku began.

"Sorry, something's come up, maybe later!" Naruto called over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs.

"But what did you-" It was too late, he was gone. _What did you mean when you said you consumed Zabuza-sama?_

Everyone in the kitchen looked around when Naruto crashed down the stairs to sprawl in a heap on the floor (He'd tripped on the way down). He quickly got up. "We have a problem, Kakashi-sensei. Mido just sent me a message saying that there are more mercenaries gathering outside of town. A lot more. Like, three or four times more."

"What!" Exclaimed Tazuna.

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "And everyone else is celebrating Gato's death. They won't stand a chance." Then something else occurred to him. "Hang on, Naruto. How in the world did Mido tell you if he just saw them?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm able to communicate with him. I did make him, after all. So, what are we going to do about the bandits."

"We have to intercept them somehow," Kurenai said grimly. Then she made an almost pained face and looked at Ga. "Ga-san…do you think you could help hold them in place? I don't think I can catch enough of them in my Genjutsu and, as much as I hate to admit it, you're better at tricking people than I am. Will you help us?"

"Oh, so now you want my help," Ga grumbled. Then he grinned. "Well, after that little confession," Kurenai twitched with irritation, "Sure. Besides, any excuse to get out of this house is fine by me. No offense, Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san, but I'm more of an outdoors person."

Kakashi nodded. "Alright people, we need to move out ASAP. Shino, Sakura, you remain behind in case some mercenaries try to sneak up here. Sasuke, Kiba and Naruto are with me, while Kurenai and Ga-san stall them with Genjutsu."

"Hai!"

[Later]

Kiba laughed as they raced across the ground. "Finally, some action!" He yelled.

"Shut it!" Sasuke hissed, "They might hear us. Honestly, what kind of ninja are you?"

Naruto snorted from ahead of them. "Took the words out of my mouth. Seriously, do you even know what stealth is, with that dog yapping away?"

_Says the guy wearing orange in a forest,_ the others thought.

"Be quiet, all of you," Kakashi said tiredly. He did not envy Kurenai having the Inuzuka on her team. The boy was brash, overbearing, and loud, rather like how Naruto was supposed to be.

Akamaru yelped as the enormous panther-Mido seemed to materialize out of nowhere. The large cat just gave both boy and dog a contemptuous glance and a snort before looking at its master. Quickly, he managed to convey to Naruto that the bandits had set up camp and were planning to attack once the celebrating had died down. They had mysteriously and unanimously come to this decision a few minutes ago, in fact.

"That must be Ga-san," Kakashi murmured. "Perfect." He turned to the three boys. "Alright, we're going to go in and hit them fast. I know that you haven't made your first kills yet, but-"

"Actually, I did earlier today," Naruto interrupted, "I'm pretty sure I mentioned it to you."

Kakashi blinked in, slightly bemused. "Er, right... But I'll be doing most of the killing here. Even if you can fight, you two," he indicated Kiba and Sasuke, "Might not be able to move afterward. Killing your first human is always a shock."

Naruto suddenly felt uneasy. While he had felt slightly regretful about killing those two thugs, it did not seem debilitatingly horrible to him at the time. Naruto wasn't a psychologist, but that did _not_ sound good at all. At the same time, however, he didn't give a damn. Most troubling.

Mido huffed in his face, bringing him back to earth. It did not matter if his master was crazy or not, the panther told him, but he would like to fight soon.

Naruto chuckled slightly, then turned to Kakashi. "Ne, sensei, should we go? Mido's getting a bit impatient."

"Right, right." Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his friend's eye. "You ready?" he asked Kiba and Sasuke.

They nodded, Kiba grinning ferally.

"Well then no more delaying. Go!" They all shot out of the trees toward the camp, moving as quietly as possible.

As they moved, Mido shimmered and vanished into invisibility, breaking off from the group to do his own thing. _Be careful,_Naruto thought after the creation.

Within seconds, they had reached the bandits' camp. Without warning, they each began executing their attacks.

**"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"** yelled Sasuke. His fireball blazed through several bandits, igniting them and sending them screaming in all directions. The Uchiha stood, horrified at what he'd just done so calously.

**"Tsuga!" (Tunneling Fang)** Kiba called, leaping into the air. He spun fast enough to become a gray drill and flew back and forth, tearing through multiple bandits. Halfway through, however, he fell to the ground and stumbled, staring down at the blood on his hands.

However, more bandits came quickly running out of the tents, brandishing weapons. "Hey, who the hell are you?" One of them asked, holding a spear threateningly.

Naruto quickly made two Kage Bunshin, who shot over to his downed comrades and lifted them to safety. "What happened to the Genjutsu?" he asked Kakashi.

The Jonin frowned behind his mask. "I don't know," he muttered as the bandits closed in, "But I think that the plan's gone right to hell."

"You don't say." Naruto had the clones set the boys down before dispursing. "Ne, sensei…I'm gonna do something."

"What?"

With barely a thought, Naruto's arms dissolved as black smoke and reformed into the long, saberlike claws. The bandit leader only had time to say, "What the hell?" before Naruto closed the gap.

Blood sprayed as three claws sliced cleanly through his neck and collar-bone diagonally. To Naruto everything moved in slow motion as he turned from the now dead mercenary and leapt at another. This time the blades sank into the man's chest, scraping slightly against his ribcage and plunging into his heart. The screams sounded dim in his ears as he ripped his hand free, taking the man's heart with it. Naruto threw it aside as he leaped over his victim, seeking his next target.

Kakashi stood stock still, his eyes wide. Quickly, he slid his hitai-ate over his Sharingan to conserve chakra. Besides which, he had no desire to burn what he was witnessing into his memory any more than he already had.

"W-what the hell's gotten into the dobe?" Kiba asked, his eyes wide as he watched his fellow Genin tear through the enemy like they were tissue paper. _And what's with those claws?_

Sasuke was shaking as he observed the ferocity with which his teammate fought. _What the hell is this power? _he thought with mild horror, _and why does it remind me so much of _him?

Alex sighed as he watched Naruto. "Shit's gonna hit the fan once everyone gets their bearings."

Kina, who was sitting in one of the chairs, just grunted in agreement.

He glanced at her. The Kyuubi-girl was staring determinedly ahead, watching her jailor in action with a slightly glazed look in her red eyes while biting her lip slightly. Looking down, he saw that her hands were clenched on the bottom of her kimono, trying to disguise the fact that she was rubbing her thighs together underneath it. He sniffed the air and smelled a familiar, sweet scent. "Oi," he sighed, "You're getting off on this, aren't you?"

"S-shut up," Kina muttered.

Meanwhile, Naruto had managed to kill about ten more bandits. He was absolutely drenched in the blood of his enemies and his green eyes were wild. There were some small wounds where weapons had managed to inflict damage, but they were unimportant. His claw-fingers curled and uncurled in anticipation as he searched for more prey. Got one! With a blast of chakra he shot forward, bringing his claw up to rend them in two. However, he was surprised when this opponent actually got out of the way. None of the others were smart enough to do that. He surged chakra out the side of his arm to change the direction of his claws.

However, his would-be victim surprised him yet again by blocking the claw with a blade. With a frustrated roar, Naruto swung his other arm out to the side. Midflight, the arm transformed, becoming a huge club. He stuck the bandit with the broad side of it and sent him flying with a crunch.

His rear eyes saw another man sneaking up behind him with a spear, poised to stab him. As the pointed tip approached his back, Naruto spun, propelled by his chakra. Even as the point of the spear passed by him, he brought up his Hammerfist parallel to the shaft. The arm opened up at the end, revealing a large hole in the center. **"Eat it!"** He yelled. There was a blast of red chakra and with a roar, the man's torso was obliterated, leaving only his arms, legs and head.

Naruto looked around, shaking with adrenaline. There didn't seem to be anyone left alive. "Oh shit," he mumbled, stumbling slightly. He was starting to feel light-headed from expending so much chakra to move. Not only that, his shoulder ached from the weight of his new arm. _Oh Log, this thing weighs a ton!_ He staggered around, looking for his team. "Oi! Kakashi-sensei, where are you?"

"Right here," said Kakashi, appearing a few feet away from him, "I was getting Sasuke and Kiba to safety. I couldn't find Mido, but I suspect he's around."

Naruto nodded, still panting and swaying. "He is; I can still sense him. Oi, Mido! Run clean up, will you?" There was a snarl from some distance away. "Good boy." He looked at Kakashi, his shoulders sagging. "I'm not gonna get out of this without explaning, am I?" asked the blond, looking guilty. He'd blown his secret by shapeshifting in front of everyone. He glanced down at his arms and quickly shifted them back.

Kakashi frowned at his suddenly taciturn student. "When we get back to the house, you can explain it in detail," he said, before leaning in, "Does it have anything to do with…you know?" he indicated his stomach.

Naruto smiled slightly. "Yeah, not in the way you think, though. She only gives me a boost."

_She? The Kyuubi's a girl?_ the Jonin thought in slight surprise, _I thought the bijuu had no gender…_ "Anyway, we should go find Kurenai. I suspect that Ga-san, pulled a fast one on us."

Kurenai shunshined in at that moment. "That's right," She said, slightly out of breath, "He took off the moment he set up the Genjutsu and got the bandits to stop. He said something about there being limits to his unpaid help."

"Figures," Kakashi sighed, "He's obviously a shinobi, and no shinobi likes being cheated out of their pay."

The red-eyed Jonin looked around at the devastation and at Naruto. "What on earth happened here?" She asked, horrified, "Kakashi, why is Naruto-san covered in blood?"

"Because I haven't washed it off yet," Naruto answered in deadpan, "Can we go back so I can take a shower?"

Both older ninjas sweatdropped, but nodded.

[Later, at Tazuna's house]

_Well, this is a right mess you've gotten yourself into,_ said Alex as Naruto scrubbed furiously at his bloodstained hair.

_I'll say,_ Naruto agreed, _I don't think I'll ever be able to get the red out of my clothes._

_That's not what I meant,_ the elder Blacklight snapped while Kina giggled at him, _Kakashi saw you transforming. You won't be able to get out of explaining the truth._

_Well, I was going to tell Jiji about it anyway when we got back, so what's the problem?_

_There is no problem, I'm just feeling obligated to rant a little that's all._

_Oh. Would you mind if I just tuned you out, then?_ Naruto asked seriously.

Alex's eye twitched.

Down in the kitchen, Kurenai was thinking things over. Kiba and Sasuke had already gone to their rooms and fallen asleep, but the Jonin were still up. When she had heard how Naruto had transformed his arms into claws and a club, her thoughts immediately to her old sensei. Alex Mercer had not taught her team for that long, but he had taught them a lot. By 'them,' she meant her other teammates, Gai and Asuma. Due to a strange condition that kept him from using chakra at all, he had been entirely unable to teach her her specialty, Genjutsu.

She remembered trying, and failing, to learn Taijutsu from him, which Gai at least had taken to like a fish to water. Her heart hadn't been in it, however. When the man had disappeared before the Kyuubi attack, Kurenai had felt slightly abandoned. While their relationships were nowhere near as close, Kurenai could at least understand some of the pain her friend Anko had gone through.

Kakashi was remembering what had happened out there in the camp. Naruto had seemed so calm at first, but then, when he moved, he was like a savage beast, killing every person he could get his hands—or claws, rather–on.

Both looked up as Naruto walked in, looking slightly damp, but inexplicably wearing the same orange clothes as before, only clean. "So," he said as he sat down withot preamble, "What do you want to know, exactly?"

Kakashi leaned forward. "Naruto, ever since the bell test about a month ago, quite frankly your abilities have been confusing me. You can create and replicate artificial creatures, which can shapeshift by the way. You can heal in a matter of seconds and apparently neutralize poisons. You have reflexes fast enough to pull off that 'step on the sword' trick with Zabuza and you can even shapeshift yourself partially! I think I'm justified in asking what the hell is going on with you, cause none of that is normal by any means."

Naruto just stared at his sensei, regarding him with an odd, calculating expression. Finally, he nodded and leaned back. "You know, you're right," the jinchuuriki admitted freely, "I do have very strange abilities. To tell the truth, I'm glad to be able to explain, finally. You see, all the stuff I've been able to do is the result of my other tenant."

Kurenai stiffened. "Other tenant?" she asked faintly, "You mean there's something inside you _other_ than the Kyuubi?"

"Her name is Kina and yes, that's exactly what I mean," Naruto said firmly, "It's because of him that I've always been a fast healer on top of the other stuff, rather than because of Kina. I mean, she sometimes helps with the healing, but she's not as good at it as the other guy."

Kakashi sighed. "And just who is this mystery being?"

Naruto grinned and said only two words. "Alex. Mercer." Then he sat back to watch the looks on their faces.

.

AN: You know what? I'm just gonna leave it here. I've done what I meant to do with this chapter and I'm quite satisfied. Sorry if it's a bit short, but I managed to put a lot in it.

Summary time:  
1. Some of the things that Nord was talking about actually did happen. He was just talking about some of the things he did in other worlds. Well, that little thing about him walking all the way to the Elemental Nations was a bit of a lie.  
2. Hinata explains why she loves Naruto. Personally, I think I did well with this. Naruto had previously given her some biomass, which is how she was able to talk so freely.  
3. Naruto can communicate with Mido no matter the distance. This is because a: Mido is a biomass construct and b: Naruto created him.  
4. Haku overheard Naruto talking about how he consumed Zabuza. Hopefully, I'll remember to have them talk in the next chapter.  
5. A fan told me after the previous chapter that Naruto hasn't shown that much of his power so far. This chapter was to rectify that.  
6. Naruto isn't a complete Blacklight, like I said already. But he's not human anymore either, which is why killing did not affect him very much. I mean, it worries him that he wasn't affected, but at the same time he just doesn't care.  
7. What did you think of the Hammerfist chakra-cannon? I think it was rather awesome. I once saw a picture of the hammerfist with fingers. That is to say, the 'fist' at the end opened up into three 'fingers.' Ever since then, I wanted to do something with that idea.  
8. So now the secret is out.  
9. Mido stayed behind to dispose of the bodies of the bandits, Zetsu-style. With all that biomass, Mido's gonna be fucking enormous!

Well, that's all the summary I can think of. If any of you have questions, just ask. Please.

Harem update: I'm thinking of taking Olivia out of the harem, since I have other plans for her.

Oh yeah, if none of you have seen it, I've started another fic! It's called CoG: Pen to the Paper, and is a NarutoXSpellwright crossover. Chronologically speaking, it takes place just before CoG: NOT and is in a different world. Check it out and review it.

So yeah, that's it for this chapter. Please leave a review on your way out.

North South out.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Well, here I am again, with chapter 20. Wow. It seems just like yesterday I started this fic and now here I am, writing chapter 20. Let me just take a little moment to feel good about myself. I always used _hate_ writing in any form with a passion. Now here I am, writing a whole story. I've come a long way from the boy I used to be. Sadly, I think this is mainly going to be a filler chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype, though I wish I did. I do, however, own the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"  
/Translation/alternate language\  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 20: Revelation of the Black Plague, melted snow, return to the Leaf

"What?" was the flat, demanding question from Kurenai. She prayed to the Log that she had just heard that wrong.

No such luck, however. "You heard me," Naruto said evenly, his eyes glowing an eerie green, "Alex Mercer is sealed inside of me, along with the Kyuubi."

To Kakashi, everything about Naruto made sense. A very horrible sense. "Alex Mercer," he groaned, putting his head in his hands, "That explains _so_ much."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Really? You're gonna believe me just like that?"

Kurenai shook her head. "The thing about Alex Mercer is that no one else would claim to be him. Back during the Third Great Shinobi War, he fought alongside the Yondaime and was possibly even more feared. He couldn't use chakra, but quite frankly he didn't need it. Not when he could run down a fleeing enemy and tear him apart with his bare hands." She glanced at Kakashi, who had shuddered. "That's how it went, right Kakashi?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded. "I don't know where he came from, but the rumor was that he came from a foreign country where they didn't have chakra. Obviously that never made sense, but neither did Mercer. He was on a Genin team with the Yondaime and his wife and from what my sensei told me, he was a pretty strange guy."

_Ah, good times,_ Alex said reminiscently.

_Hang on, you were on a team with my parents?_ Asked Naruto incredulously.

Alex rolled his eyes. _Don't be so surprised, I know I mentioned it a couple of days ago. You didn't pay attention._

"Strange is an understatement," Kurenai grunted, "A man who could consume the dead bodies of others and completely take on their form…" she suddenly looked at Naruto, alarmed, "Please don't tell me you can do that too, Naruto-san!"

Naruto snorted. "I can consume, yeah, but I can't quite shape-shift yet. Alex says that I'm not 'complete,' but he's real cagey about what that means. I can see a person's memories and experiences when I consume them, though."

"Right…" Kurenai mumbled, still staring at him, "He could shape-shift his limbs to fight, run fast enough to run up the side of a building without chakra, take on Tsunade-sama—Which he used to do a lot, I hear –in terms of strength, again without chakra, and impersonate a person perfectly."

"Not only that, but he seems to be immortal," Naruto added thoughtfully.

Kakashi paled. "Come again?"

The boy shrugged. "Well, when I asked how old he was, he said he was several thousand years old. When he arrived in this world, he took on the form of a baby and sealed away his memories."

The silver-haired Jonin groaned. "I can't even begin to refute that. With Alex Mercer, impossible has a whole different meaning."

But now it was Kurenai's turn again. "Has he told you why he left before the Kyuubi attacked?"

_Don't tell them about the Gormim,_ Alex said quickly, _Just say I literally had no choice._

When Naruto relayed this to the Jonin, Kurenai was confused. "When has not having a choice stopped Alex-sensei from doing something like staying? He was always on probation for disobeying orders," she muttered the last bit under her breath.

Naruto cocked his head to the side as he listened to Alex. "He says that he got orders from someone who, to him, preceded the Hokage," he reported.

Kakashi scratched his chin at that. "Hm…the only one I can think of in that position would be Koyue, his old girlfriend."

"Oh god, that would be even worse," Kurenai groaned, "Whenever she was around, sensei was even creepier than usual."

_What the fuck is that supposed to mean?_ yelled Alex angrily.

Naruto winced. "Oh wow, he did _not_ like that," he said, slightly amused.

"Anyway," intervened Kakashi, "Who else knows about this? How long have you known?"

"I found out about him the night I graduated and learned about the Kyuubi. I met both of them, and it turns out that Kina-chan's pretty nice, if a bit enthusiastic. As for who knows," Naruto put up three fingers, "You two, Hinata-chan, and Haku behind the door there are the only ones who know about Alex."

Kakashi stood up and quickly walked over to the door while the red-eyed Jonin asked, "Hinata? I didn't realize the two of you were so close, but why did you tell her?"

The blond just shrugged. "Because I wanted to trust her. She was the first person to ever really say that she believed in me."

"That doesn't seem like much of a reason." Kakashi returned, holding Haku firmly by the arm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "It's all the reason I need," he said flatly. Then he turned his attention to Haku. "So, Haku-chan, how much did you overhear?"

Haku looked sheepish. "I started listening when you said Alex Mercer is sealed inside you," she admitted. Then her expression became somber. "Naruto-san, may I ask you a question, if I'm allowed?"

He nodded.

"You mentioned that you consume people and take their memories and skills. Did you consume Zabuza-s…Zabuza, after he died?"

Another nod, this one apprehensive.

Haku sighed. "I see. Was he planning to kill me?"

Naruto tilted his head quizzically, while both Jonin looked at each other in confusion. Then he said, without changing his expression, "This was supposed to be your last mission. After everything was done, Ga was supposed to...well." He shook his head, looking suddenly wretched. "I'm sorry."

To her credit, the ice-wielder just hung her head and closed her eyes. "I see," she muttered, "I was afraid of that. I'm not surprised, but," Naruto saw her hands clench at her sides and tears welled up unbidden from behind her eyelids. "It hurts," she whispered, "I thought I was useful. I was useful, wasn't I? I helped him, I developed my abilities for him, but now he's gone."

"Isn't that good?" Kurenai asked, "He was going to kill you, but you're free now!"

The tears began flowing. "But what good is that?" Haku asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I don't know anything about living on my own, I don't know how to keep- keep going alone." She started to sob, "I don't want to be free! I want to be useful! I want someone to tell me what I'm supposed to do, and I want to obey them!"

Kurenai leaned back, disturbed. Something was definitely wrong with this girl.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he murmured. He could see the cold loneliness of her memories, feel the whirling, confusing _terror_ that filled her mind even now. "When we met, I consumed a bit of your hair (Sorry about that, by the way) and saw your memories. You're in my head, even now. It's not that you want to be useful to someone..."

"Then _what_?" Haku asked desperately, tears pouring from her brown, bloodshot eyes, "What do I even want?"

He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "You want someone to see that you're worth having around, not as someone or something that should be destroyed. You just want to be wanted."

Something about what he said resonated in Haku's heart. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried harder. Naruto stiffened for a moment, panicking slightly, before tentatively rubbing her back. Then he grew slightly bolder and started rocking her gently, still patting her. "Shh," he whispered in her ear, "It's okay. It's okay, it's okay..."

"I d-don't want to b-be alone," Haku whimpered into his shoulder, "I'm scared!"

Maybe it was because he had a bit of Haku in himself, but Naruto felt his own eyes begin to burn at the corners. "But you're not alone," he murmured, his voice cracking slightly, "See? I'm here, right now. I won't leave you alone, Haku-chan. There's nothing to be afraid of, see?"

Kakashi and Kurenai got up as quietly as they could and left. They could see that Haku was neither a threat nor pretending. To them, this was not a scene that they should intrude upon.

For a long time, Naruto and Haku sat together. Naruto patiently rocked the girl as she kept crying. After a long while, the sobs subsided into quiet, wet hiccups and she relaxed, seemingly spent. "Will you take me?" she asked, her hoarse voice nearly silent.

Naruto blinked, wiping his own tears from his mismatched eyes. "Eh?" he asked, "What did you say?"

Haku got his attention by gently cupping his face in her warm, delicate hands. "Please," she said quietly, her eyes gazing into his beseechingly, "Take me with you. I want to be by your side."

"I-I..." Naruto found himself unable to speak. He couldn't look away from those eyes, eyes that were asking, no, begging him to let her stay with him. But what about Hinata? He was conflicted and flustered, more so than he could ever remember being. A movement out of the corner of his eye made him break eye contact with Haku to see what it was.

Hinata had come down to see what had become of her beloved. Thanks to Naruto's method of healing, she found herself able to stand and walk down the stairs to the kitchen, where she heard crying. There, she saw Naruto comforting the false hunter-nin, Haku. While she expected herself to be jealous, Hinata instead felt sympathy as she saw how gentle he was being. The girl was very lonely, and Naruto was trying his best to make her feel better. When Hinata heard her ask to go with Naruto, she sighed. Those were the exact words she herself had thought when she'd started having feelings for him. It seemed that she wasn't the only girl to fall for the blond. Still, she remembered what Alex had said about Naruto likely falling under the CRA, meaning she would have to share him. _There could be worse people to share him with,_ she thought, looking Haku over, _And it doesn't look like she'd mind either._

She locked eyes with Naruto over Haku's head. He looked almost afraid as he silently asked her what to do.

He didn't want to hurt Haku-chan, but he'd just told Hinata that he loved her earlier that evening. He felt like he was being torn in two over this. Fortunately for Naruto, Hinata smiled and walked over to them, where she hugged Haku gently from behind, causing the ice-girl to freeze (Pun not intended) in surprise. Hinata smiled softly at Naruto over Haku's shoulder and nodded.

Naruto relaxed, highly relieved by her approval. He too hugged Haku, sandwiching her between the two of them. "Yeah. You can come with us, Haku-chan," he said.

Haku melted into the hug, something she'd never had before, not since her mother had been alive. "Thank you," she said softly, "Both of you."

"I couldn't have Naruto have a panic attack over you, could I?" Hinata asked teasingly.

Naruto looked at her, his eyes wide. "But Hinata-chan, I thought that you…"

She nodded. "I still do, that won't change. But if I'm going to be sharing you anyway, why not make a start now? Do you agree, Haku-san?"

Naruto was confused. "What do you mean, you'll have to share me?"

"I've heard that a man must take multiple wives in Konoha if he is the last of his bloodline," Haku began slowly, comprehension dawning in her face, "Are you saying that this is the case with Naruto-sama, Hinata-san?"

"What?" Squeaked Naruto, paling as Hinata nodded, "Why did no one ever tell me about this?"

_Slipped my mind,_ Alex said simply as he shrugged.

Kina, however, smirked. _What's the matter, Naru-kun? I'd think that most men would _love_ the chance to legally have sex with multiple women! By the way, could you ask Hinata-chan if she'd let a fox-girl in on the fun?_

Naruto had to pinch his nose to stop it from bleeding profusely. Now his head was full of images of Haku, Hinata and Kina all naked and—He slapped himself hard. "A-are you sure you're alright with this?" He asked Hinata, trying to make sure he was hearing this right.

She smiled and leaned over Haku's shoulder to kiss him on the cheek. "Naruto-kun, it's my dream to always walk beside you. If I can be by your side and you're happy, I don't care who else wants to walk with you." She gave Haku a squeeze, "Right, Haku-chan?"

Haku blushed but nodded shyly.

_I must have given her more biomass than I thought,_ Naruto mused, sweat-dropping as the blue-nette straightened up, smiling cheerfully. "It's late," he broke in, "Perhaps we should go get some sleep."

"Okay," Hinata said with a shrug.

"Hai, Naruto-sama," answered Haku immediately, looking at him with total devotion.

_Hoo boy,_ the Jinchuuriki thought wryly, "You don't have to call me that, Haku-chan."

"I'll keep that in mind, Naruto-sama."

"Errgh…"

[Next day]

The day started somewhat normally. Kiba was incensed that both Hinata _and_ Haku had attached themselves to Naruto's side. Or at least Hinata did, Haku remained at a distance to the right, behind her 'master.'

"What happened to that cat of yours?" Asked Sasuke suddenly, "It just disappeared last night."

Naruto shrugged. "I told him to get rid of the bodies. He's probably pretty full from that, so..." There was a dull thump on the door. "That must be him," he said, instantly switching his attention. He could indeed sense his biomass construct just beyond the front door. _He seems a bit different, though._

"I'll let him in," offered Tsunami, as the closest to the door. However, as she opened it, she leaped backward with a scream.

Naruto ran to her, alarmed. "What is it?" he asked. Then he looked out the door. "Ho-ly shit..." Mido had, it seemed, eaten so much that he was now about the size of a small horse. "Mido...we really need to deal with this. Right now." He turned ruefully to his companions. "Could you hang on a second? I'll be right back." He quickly exited and shut the door behind him, glaring at the panther.

Mido growled indignantly, defending himself by pointing out that Naruto had _wanted_ him to dispose of the bodies.

"I know that, but there was no need to eat several dozens of them! No offense Mido, but I can't take you back to the village if you're the size of a house." Naruto sighed, "Well, now we need to split all the excess mass off of you…" With a grumble, Mido began to shrink. Shiny black spheres bunched up and fell off as the biomass construct reduced himself to his former size. Finally, a black cat with green eyes glared up at Naruto from a pile of what looked like black gumballs. "Good," said his master, "Now what are we gonna do about all of these?"

One sealing scroll later, Naruto reentered the house with crow-Mido perched on his shoulder. "What?" he asked innocently as everyone stared at him. Kurenai was looking at the bird suspiciously, while Kakashi just looked resigned, as did Sasuke and Sakura. They knew better than to question the oddities of their third teammate. Mido hopped onto Hinata's shoulder and rubbed his feathery head on her inky blue hair.

_He looks like a crow, but he's still acting like a cat,_ Naruto thought distractedly.

"Well, if you're done, Naruto, we'll be moving out in an hour or so," Kakashi told him, "Since Gato and his thugs are dead, I'd say our original mission is accomplished, so we should head back to Konoha."

"Eh? But the bridge isn't complete yet!" Tazuna exclaimed, dismayed.

Kurenai shook her head. "Sorry, but the mission was to make sure that you got home safely, and there's some information that we need to report back to the village. Since everyone's learned water-walking, we won't have to wait for the bridge's completion to go back to the village."

The bridge-builder was disappointed, but he understood. Nearly an hour later, the Konoha ninja were on their way.

Naruto paused as Haku came running up with a small scroll. "What's that, Haku-chan?" he asked.

"It's Kubikiri Bocho, Zabuza's sword," she explained quietly, though she seemed excited, "You said that you retain the memories and skills of those you consume. Since you consumed Zabuza, Naruto-sama, you should know how to use his sword." She looked expectedly at him as he thought.

"…Yeah, I do have his memories," Naruto agreed slowly, "And I know that I can use his sword the way he did…good idea, thanks Haku-chan."

The ice-user beamed at the praise and fell into step behind her 'master.'

While Kurenai had said they'd all gotten water-walking down, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Most of the Genin had to be carried by one of Naruto's Kage Bunshin, though Hinata stuck it out for a while before running out of chakra.

Haku, having been trained by Zabuza, could water-walk easily and so offered to carry Hinata, which the Hyuuga heiress agreed to reluctantly.

"Ah, Naruto-sama," the former hunter-nin began from her position behind the blond, "last night, you said that you consumed a part of my hair and saw my memories. Is that true?"

Naruto stiffened. _Well, crap. This is awkward,_ he thought. "Er, yeah, that's true," he admitted, "It happened when I first met you in that forest, and I saw your life. It was really sad, what happened."

Haku smiled sadly. "Thank you for saying that, Naruto-sama." Then something else occurred to her. "Naruto-sama, if you saw my memories because you consumed my genetic code, does that mean you have my skills as well as Zabuza's?"

He cast a glance over his shoulder at her. "Probably," he said thoughtfully, "I haven't taken a look, but I'm pretty sure I can do what..." He paused, causing Haku to stop abruptly to keep from running into him. "...What you can do..." he muttered, connecting dots internally, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Haku-chan?"

Hinata, who had been napping on Haku's shoulder, stirred slightly and peered at Naruto from underneath her dark bangs. "Whatever you're thinking, I hope it won't make you lose track of the others," she mumbled sleepily, "Keep walking."

Sheepishly, they kept going. "What exactly are you thinking, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked patiently.

"Well, first, you really should stop calling me that. It makes me uncomfortable. Secondly, if I'm right, I think I might have copied your bloodline, Haku-chan. Hope you don't mind."

Haku sped up slightly to get a look at Naruto's face. "I see. I don't mind that you have my bloodline; frankly it would be nice to have someone to compare notes with."

(A man with one eye and white hair suddenly sneezed)

"However," she put on a stubborn look, "If I can't call you 'Naruto-sama,' you can't call me 'Haku-chan.'"

"That's told you," Hinata muttered.

Naruto sighed. "Fair enough." He knew better than to push the issue with her.

The rest of the trip back was pretty much uneventful. When the group reached the gates of Konoha, the guards did a double-take at the size of the group, as well as the massive zanbatou that Naruto carried.

After explaining who Haku was and why they were returning, the two teams were allowed to enter the village, whereupon they headed for the Hokage tower.

Sarutobi looked up from stamping a form at a knock on the door. "Come in," he said absently, pulling out another paper.

The door opened and Kakashi entered with Kurenai following. "Teams 7 and 8 reporting, Hokage-sama. Our mission is complete."

"Ah, Kakashi! I wondered what happened to you."

_He doesn't even sound like he worried,_ everyone thought, sweat-dropping.

The silver-haired Jonin handed the aged leader a sheet of paper. "Here is the full report, Hokage-sama," he said, _I would give the report verbally, but there are things that should not be spoken in the presence of all these Genin,_ he added mentally.

Hiruzen took the report with a raised eyebrow. When he began reading, the other eyebrow joined it, followed by a look of understanding.

For five minutes the Shinobi stood still, watching their leader read. Hinata giggled quietly at the rapidly changing expressions on Sarutobi's face.

When he reached the end of the report, Sarutobi nodded slowly as he read the part explaining how Haku had formed an attachment to Naruto. Then he reached the part where Naruto admitted that Alex Mercer was sealed inside him and his eyes widened. _So, _that's _what happened to him!_

Finally, he looked up and nodded again. "I see. You will each be paid the according amount for an A-ranked mission because of encounters with high-ranked nuke-nin and challenges." Most of the Genin showed signs of pride at being paid so much. Even Hinata smiled at the thought of having earned that much money herself. "You are all dismissed," Sarutobi said curtly, "Except for Naruto-kun, and you, Haku-san."

Kiba smirked at Naruto as he left, thinking the blond was in trouble. Hinata also cast a worried look at him. He smiled at her and nodded. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

When they'd left, the Hokage leaned forward. "First, I think we should attend to your issue first, Haku-san. You wish to take up residence in this village, correct? More specifically with Naruto-kun?"

Haku, who was feeling particularly on edge in the presence of the old man, nodded. "Hai. My desire is to be a tool that can be of use to Naruto-sama."

Naruto sighed irritably, but anyone who paid close enough attention would have seen a faint blush on his face.

"Well, I can certainly make you a citizen of the village," Sarutobi said, fishing a paper out of a stack, "But with your abilities, would you also like to become a shinobi? I'm afraid you would not be able to come with Naruto-kun on missions otherwise." After a small process, Haku was given a hitai-ate and given the rank of Genin. "Now, Naruto-kun, I notice that you're carrying Zabuza Momochi's sword. Care to explain how that happened?"

Naruto gestured at Haku. "Well, according to Haku-chan, after Zabuza was defeated the first time, he expressed surprise that I was able to get his sword away from him and use it, even if only a little. Apparently Zabuza thought it would be a good idea to give me the sword if he died, as unlikely as it seemed. I have his memories of wielding it, but I haven't really had the chance to practice it myself."

"Which, of course, leads to our next matter of discussion," said the Hokage seriously, "Does Haku-san know about Alex?"

Haku looked guilty. "Yes, I overheard Naruto-sama telling Kakashi-san and Kurenai-san. Also, on the way back to the village, he explained it to me."

"I'd like an explanation myself; the report was surprisingly vague about the details. Care to share, Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, looking unconcerned. "I was going to tell you when I got back anyway," he muttered, "But yeah, Alex Mercer is sealed inside of me. His spirit was sealed in me on the night of the Kyuubi attack."

"What was he doing there?" Sarutobi asked, "He'd been missing for a few weeks beforehand."

Naruto cocked his head slightly. "That's a long story," he said dully, "And when I say long, I mean it starts even before he was found and raised." _Alex, can I tell him?_

_Yeah, go ahead._

So Naruto began to tell the Sandaime the truth about Alex Mercer; his origins, his powers, his apparent immortality, his induction into the Gormim, his subsequent leaving to find companions for his House, and how he came to this world, where he could not use chakra. He explained it all, with Alex supplying necessary details.

Finally, he told the old man about how Alex had irritated the Shinigami into sealing his spirit along with the Kyuubi's Yang half.

When Naruto wound down, Sarutobi was deep in thought. "How long did you know?" he asked finally.

"Since the night I learned about my...status," the blond replied instantly. It was easy to remember.

"I see..." The Hokage suddenly looked up. "Naruto, this...this is a lot to take in. I can remember Alex as a child in this village, growing up with your mother and father. Everyone from that time remembers him; he was always strange, but at the same time, we knew he was human. Even with abilities like that, he was too human to be anything else."

_Sarutobi-jiji..._ Alex muttered. There was a shift in Naruto's mind, and the elder Blacklight was standing in the Hokage's office.

If the old man was surprised by the appearance of one of his missing shinobi, he didn't show it. "Hello, Alex," he said tiredly, "What on earth did you get yourself into?"

"Many things!" Alex said in an attempt at cheer. However, the expression slid from his face to be replaced by grief. "Many things," he repeated sadly, "So many things." He looked up at Sarutobi with a grim smile. "You told me I'd mellow out when I got to your age. Well, here I am, Sarutobi-jiji. I'm older than you by thousands of years, but I'm still getting into trouble everywhere I turn."

Naruto turned his head away. He'd seen his mentor have moments like these before.

The Hokage nodded. "Indeed," he agreed, "If it weren't for Koyue, I would have thought you completely hopeless."

A look of true pain passed across Alex's brown eyes. "Koyue," he murmured, "There's a name I don't like thinking about." He shook himself and said briskly, "Let's stop talking about the past, Hokage-sama. We can play catch-up later; for now why don't we focus on what to do about Naruto?"

Naruto blinked and turned to face Alex. "What about me?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, what about him?" Sarutobi was suspicious.

"Oh, I don't know," Alex began, sounding much more like his usual self, "How about giving him his inheritance?"

"Inheritance?" Haku asked, speaking up for the first time, echoing the blond's thoughts, "What inheritance?"

Sarutobi gestured at Naruto. "Well, as the son of the Yondaime and the last member of the Uzumaki clan through your mother-"

"Plus you technically have a bloodline from my influence," Alex added.

"And you have a bloodline," Sarutobi continued without pausing, "You have a considerable amount of inheritance to claim. Your parents left you a large amount of money, plus scrolls about any techniques they might have known, both for jutsu and sealing, and their house. Not only that, but you come under the Clan Restoration Act, which means you must take multiple wives in order to, well, revive your clan."

Naruto looked like he was about to pass out. "I already knew about the CRA," he said faintly, "But hearing all that is just..."

Haku was at his side in an instant. "Are you alright, Naruto-sama?" she asked quickly.

"He's fine," Alex said dismissively, "He's at least taking this better than a couple of his alternate selves did."

"However, there's a slight problem," Sarutobi continued, "The house disappeared after the Kyuubi attacked. No one was ever able to find it."

The brown-haired man snorted. "That doesn't surprise me. Even when Minato made that place it was weird. He never explained what he did, but it was like the whole property was alive."

Naruto nodded slowly. "I...okay," he finally said, "Sorry, Jiji, but I think I need to leave, otherwise my head's just gonna explode. I'm going back to my apartment; coming, Haku-chan?"

"Hai, Naruto-sama!"

The two of them left, Naruto looking slightly dazed. Alex, however, remained behind, facing the Hokage. When the door closed, his face became serious and he asked, "What else do you want to know?"

"What do you mean, Alex?" Sarutobi asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I've always been good at reading people, Sarutobi-jiji. There's something more that's bugging you, isn't there?"

The aged leader frowned, his eyes betraying nothing. Finally, he said, "What do you know about this symbol?" He quickly drew an infinity sign and put a horizontal line through it, before showing it to Alex.

He took one look at it and stuck out his tongue, revealing the same symbol, though the infinity was formed by a segment of DNA. "That's the symbol of the Gormim," he said, "Where did you see it?"

"Close your mouth," Sarutobi said absently, "On the day Naruto and his team went on their mission to Wave Country, I was approached by a strange man, claiming to be a messenger for some village called Ma-Nigakure. He carried the same symbol, though it had a few differences."

_A messenger..._ "Let me guess: black hair, silver boots, double-bandolier of brass darts, and talks like he's reading straight from a textbook with a thick accent? Vaga Farwalker; if he's here, that means some major shit's coming this way. And since he claimed to be from a village...Aw hell."

Slightly surprised at the speed of Alex's thought process, the old man nodded. "That's exactly what he told me: that a team from this 'Ma-Nigakure' would be participating in the Chunin Exams."

"A single team?" Alex asked in a strained voice, "Well, that's something, at least. But they aren't the only ones we'll have to deal with. Did Kakashi mention Ga in his report?"

"He did, yes. Is he a Gorem?"

"He certainly is. He's from after my time, so I don't really know anything about him, other than the fact that he's got extreme Wind capabilities. Not only that, both Naruto and I saw a man who saved Haku, from her memories. That man was a Gorem."

Sarutobi frowned at the tone in the former Jonin's voice. "You say that like I should remember him."

Alex gave a very shaky laugh. "Well, it was a very obscure thing, but I remember a little history lesson that involved him. He took part in the First Great Shinobi War, then afterward formed a clan and founded a bloodline. The last result of that decision left the room a few minutes ago."

"Naruto?"

He shook his head slowly. "No, Haku. That man founded the Hyoton bloodline, and still lives to this day. A man with pure white hair, a single, soul-piercing eye, though true rage could make him manifest another, and a sword that would cut down those who crossed him. Come on Sarutobi-jiji, don't you remember? Your predecessors must have talked about him at least."

"No..." Hiruzen's face paled as the implications hit him, "Him? That man is a Gorem?"

"Yeah. He joined before I did, so I got to meet him. The most terrifying person I ever met, bar none," Alex took a deep breath, "Kelvin Ghiaccio. The Dragon-Eater."

(Centerplane)

Storia snapped his book shut. "So that's where he went," the Narrator muttered darkly, "I suspected it, but..." he leaned back and sighed. _So, even from that time period, you entangled our clan and that world, eh Kelvin?_ he thought, _and quite thoroughly, I might add. Though, I did wonder where those elemental bloodlines besides the Senju's came from. Fitting, that you'd start the Hyoton._

"Penny for your thoughts, Uncle?" Asked Blair's voice.

Storia put on his black-framed glasses and turned in his chair. Standing on the other side of his 'office' were Blair, Fuoca, Carlos, Len, and Olivia, carrying packs and other supplies. Len was twirling a pocket watch chain in his fingers as he said, "Yeah, what's eating you?"

"Never you mind," the Spellwright said instinctively, "Why are you all here?"

"Stiamo andando," /We're going\ said Fuoca simply.

At the look of confusion on his face, Carlos explained, "We're heading to the Naruto-verse early. Since Olivia's new, we'll need those three months to get her to adapt to their world's system."

"Hey, I'm right here!" The white-haired glass-user snapped, blushing indignantly.

Storia just gave them an 'are you stupid' look. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for, then, permission?" he asked shortly, "Get going!"

Olivia jumped at the harsh command, while Len chuckled and pulled down the brim of his hat, and Carlos saluted seriously. "Yes sir!" they all said.

.

AN: Alright, I'm gonna cut this chapter short. I just wanted to make this fast so I can get to the Chunin Exams in the next chapter, so this was kind of a filler chapter. Also, if no one's read my other fics, please do so! I recently published the first chapter of a new one, CoG: Raven and Jackdaw. If you haven't read and reviewed it yet, please do so. Also, if you haven't seen the poll on my profile page, could you oblige me by voting?

Summary Notes:  
1. Naruto explains (Partially, at least) to Kakashi and Kurenai about Alex.  
2. Alex had a girlfriend in Konoha named Koyue. It is implied that she died.  
3. Haku was listening in on the conversation.  
4. She's also a right mess. This version of Haku seems to have some real independence issues. I can't help but think of a house-elf for some reason.  
5. Because Naruto consumed a part of Haku, he's experienced her memories and has a sort of imprint of her essence in his own. He has a connection with her, allowing him to better comfort her and sympathize.  
6. I think he handled it pretty well.  
7. Hinata's fine with sharing. She was expecting it anyway, but as long as Naruto still cares for her, she doesn't mind.  
8. Kina doesn't mind sharing either. Oh, Kina, you pent up little thing you.  
9. Naruto now has Kubikiri Bocho. Hopefully he'll use it.  
10. The Konoha ninja left before the bridge was done.  
11. It's possible Naruto will be able to use the Hyoton. Let's hope I remember to have him use it.  
12. Hinata is adorable.  
13. I'm such a dumbass...I forgot to have Sasuke activate his Sharingan. Well, it's still another three months until the Exams, right?  
14. Alex can project himself out of the seal. How? I dunno, through sheer badass maybe.  
15. The missing house will appear later. Probably.  
16. Alex and the Hokage sit down (Well, Sarutobi does) and talk a little. Sarutobi remembers that the Negative Infinity was involved with Alex somehow and asked him what it meant.  
17. For those of you wondering who that man who saved Haku was, here's your answer: Kelvin 'Dragon-Eater' Ghiaccio, who scares even Alex Mercer and founded the Hyoton. The reason he's called 'Dragon-Eater' doesn't necessarily have to do with something he did in the Naruto-verse. It has more to do with his actual past, although history might have repeated itself in this case...  
18. Team Gormim gets ready to move out. I was going to end the chapter with them actually leaving, but I thought, 'nah.' I'll save that for the next chapter, as well as their descriptions.

Harem news: sorry, but I think I might take Blair out of the harem too. No one else, though, I promise!

That's it for this chapter, please leave a review as you go. I hope you enjoyed this little update.

North South out.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Well, here we are again. The Chunin Exams are nearly upon us and I'm ready to go! Let the outsiders step past the threshold and enter!

NOTE: Remember when I said Blair's out of the harem? Well, it's less 'definitely out,' and more 'might be out.' If I can come up with a good way for her to be with Naruto, I'll put her in. If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"  
/Translation/alternate language\  
_Thought_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental Form**  
**Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 21: Entrance, another three months, and the Chunin Exams begin

(Centerplane, Gate-Rock)

"Er, so what are we doing here?" asked Olivia. Their group was standing on a large planetoid that was located somewhere near the middle of the Scattered Foundations. Its surface was littered with many carvings and devices, most of them suspiciously round. Over in the distance, the glass-user thought she caught sight of a black door.

Lifting Fuoca off her shoulders and setting her down, Blair explained, "This is where we keep most of our collected dimensional travel stuff. We can't get to the Naruto-verse without a method of transport. The only question is..." She directed her question at the two males, who were walking ahead of the group, "Which way are we going to take?"

Carlos called back over his shoulder, "My way!"

"Or the highway," Len muttered, eyeing a large chunk of asphalt with a yellow stripe.

"Hey, it's either that or the Mermaid Springs, and I'm _not_ going in there," the green-haired young man snapped.

Len rolled his eyes under his hat. "Yeah yeah, techno-hydrophobia and all that shit. You sure you don't just want to show off in front of the newbie?"

"Well, that too," Carlos admitted quietly, drawing a sigh from Olivia.

"Stai zitto," /Shut up\ barked Fuoca, the little redhead scampering past them, /You're being slow. Hurry up!\

Trailing behind the group, Olivia was looking around at the seemingly useless objects that littered the 'Gate-Rock.' She blinked at a triangular road-sign that simply said '35.' There was a pillar of brick with two simple signs hanging off the top; 'Platform 9,' and 'Platform 10.' She tried not to let her jaw drop when she caught sight of a bright blue box that said 'Police Public...' "You really _do_ have everything," She said to Len in awe.

"Not everything," her new teammate corrected, smirking, "Just most of it."

Finally, the group reached a large round pedestal of rock, into which was carved a giant hexagram. "Len, if you please?" asked Carlos.

Len smirked. "Me? I thought this was your way."

"Humor me."

"Fine, fine." The large young man cleared his throat. "Carlos! **Establish locus transfer protocol with Naruto-prime-minus-6256057.**" He paused, as if trying to remember something else, then said, **"Execute."**

Behind his glasses, Carlos's pupils shrank and spread tiny circuit lines into the green irises. **"Executing,"** He said. The hexagram began to glow red, **"Establishing ltp with Naruto . prime . minus_6256057...locked! Establishing connection."** The red became a bright blue. The green-haired man relaxed slightly, rubbing at his throat. "Okay...we can go at any time, but first, we should make some adjustments to our age. Olivia, you're good already."

Watching the older Gormim alter their physical age was a bit anticlimactic to the newcomer, though the result was rather interesting. Len still towered over everyone, though his gray eyes now had a more pronounced mischief to them, and he twirled a pocket watch on its chain. Carlos had become thinner and his tattoos stood out more than ever, flickering with green lights.

_So, this is who I'm going to be fighting with,_ thought Olivia, looking them over, _I hope I can measure up to these veterans…_

"Alright rookie, let's get going," the taller of the two said, "You can ogle me later."

The girl blushed and scrambled up onto the hexagram after her partners. "I wasn't…my name's Olivia, not rookie!"

"Whatever," drawled the metal-user, "I'd brace myself if I were you. Carlos, **initiate transfer."**

The carved symbol beneath them began to glow a blinding green. **"Gating."**

Fuoca clung to Blair's leg and gulped. /I hate this part,\ she managed to say, before their bodies were broken down into data and emailed out of the Centerplane.

(Naruto-verse)

Olivia stumbled as she rematerialized on a dirt road. "What the fuck was that?" she swore.

Len just shrugged. "That was Carlos showing off. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Shut up, Len," Carlos growled, pushing up his glasses, "I got us here in one piece, didn't I?"

Blair put a hand to her side. "Speak for yourself Carlos, I think I lost a kidney on the way!"

"Eh, you can live with only one of those. It'll grow back anyway...I think."

"Shut up, Len," the Souse groused.

He scratched his head, mock-confused. "Huh, that saying seems real popular lately. Maybe I should try it."

"Stai zitto, Len! Sei fastidioso!"

"Yes, it _is_ getting annoying," Blair said, agreeing with the young Terme.

Olivia sighed, feeling beleaguered. "I get the feeling that this is going to be a long journey," she muttered to Blair, before she winced. "Urg," she grabbed her stomach, "I don't feel so good..."

Len glanced over at her. "Oh, that's your body adapting to the universe by growing a chakra system. Don't worry, it'll pass."

The white-haired girl paled as a tremor of pain rippled through her. "Y-you could have told me that earlier!" she groaned, doubling over.

The sandy-blond teen shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, but..." He stopped to think for a moment, "Meh, I didn't feel like it."

"Sh-shut up, Len."

When Nord Baro found his new team of 'Genin,' he was greeted by the sight of Olivia trying to kick Len in the balls. Failing that because of the pain she was in, she settled for a head butt. The Ferro, however, just seemed unperturbed, only saying, "Ow."

"I pity Konoha for having to host you three," he said flatly.

Carlos had the decency to look vaguely ashamed. Len just snorted, while Olivia lay on the ground and whimpered. Blair sighed, remembering that she was the one who'd asked these three to come with her. Fuoca just rolled her yellow eyes. "Idioti," she said.

(Konoha, three months later)

Naruto and the rest of his team had not been idle in the past three months. At the behest of Kakashi, Naruto helped Sasuke unlock his Sharingan by fighting him, or rather, trying his hardest to beat the crap out of him. Considering the strength he had at the disposal, his 'best' quickly obtained results. The last Uchiha now possessed a two-tomoe version of his bloodline, which he used to avoid his blond teammate's attacks. In return, Naruto tried even harder to catch him. Meanwhile, Sakura repeatedly cast Genjutsu on him, having been taught them by Kakashi. While he kept being put under them, the real trick for the pink-haired girl was managing to make them stick because he kept dispelling them almost instantly.

Using his special biomass pills, Naruto had also been able to create a temporary body for Alex to leave the seal with. From what the elder Blacklight said, his original body had not been sealed inside the blond, meaning that, until he found it, he was going to have to borrow some of Naruto's biomass for a while. When the elder Blacklight appeared at a Jonin meeting, to say they were shocked was an understatement. They were outright flabbergasted to see the return of one of their legends. Maito Gai tried to hug his former sensei in joy, only to be decked solidly in the jaw by an annoyed Alex, who was still sore about Gai's choice in clothing after being taught by a badass like him. He quickly forgave him after the punch, however.

For the most part, however, Alex chose to stay inside Naruto's seal. He claimed it was to make sure Kina didn't get lonely, as the fox-girl was prone to becoming depressed rather easily. Therefore, the Jinchuuriki still had to deal with both of his tenants, though the fox-girl in particular made this a chore with her perverted comments about Hinata's body. Not that he didn't agree with her, but he wished she would just let up a little.

Occasionally he'd remember Nord from Wave, and how he'd said that he was a Gorem. Naruto tried searching his body for this 'Potential Infinity' that the other blond had mentioned, but found nothing.

Meanwhile, Naruto had been training his powers on his own over the three months, mastering more transformations and uses for Mido. He'd also found a way to store Kubikiri Bocho in case he ever needed it but didn't have to drag it around or put it in a scroll.

Currently the heterochromic blond was walking down a side street toward Ichiraku's. For once, Haku was not with him; she'd had to go on a mission, though she did not wish to leave her master behind.

"Hey, you little brat!" yelled an unfamiliar voice. Naruto jumped and ran to the source of the voice, rounding a corner. He saw a teenaged boy dressed in black with a cat-hat and purple face-paint holding a small, red-haired girl by the front of her jacket. Next to him was a blond girl carrying a large metal bar on her back, with her hair tied in four ponytails.

"Oi, Kankuro, leave her alone, she's just a kid," the girl said in a bored voice.

/I already said I'm sorry!\ the red-haired girl complained, but nobody could understand her.

"…What the hell's going on?" Naruto blinked at the scene before him.

Kankuro scoffed at him, "Beat it, kid, this brat here bumped into me for no reason."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Kid?" he asked dryly, "I doubt you're much older than me. Which certainly accounts for the makeup."

_"It's war paint!"_ the boy yelled, while the girl snorted openly, "You trying to start something, orange-boy?"

Fuoca muttered, /Yes, please do.\

The male blond merely shrugged. "I don't think I have to start anything. The huge guy standing behind you might just do that for me."

"Ha! Like I'm gonna fall for that."

The ponytailed girl glanced behind her teammate and said hesitantly, "Er, Kankuro?"

"Not now, Temari," the black-clad boy said distractedly.

However, the hand clasping his shoulder quickly got his attention. Slowly, he turned his head to see who was behind him. As Naruto had hinted, the man towered a good foot over him, his face shaded by a black fedora, showing only his dark gray eyes. "Put the tyke down," he said. Kankuro hastened to oblige him, setting the young girl down. She gave him a swift kick in the shin for good measure and sped off past her savior.

Naruto chuckled at the exchange and asked, "Who are you people?"

"Temari, from Sunagakure," the ponytailed girl sighed, shaking her head at the shaken boy, "The idiot in the cat-suit is my teammate and younger brother, Kankuro."

"Nice to meet you; I've never really met a friendly ninja from another village," Naruto greeted politely. He turned his attention to the behemoth looming above Kankuro and saw a hitai-ate tied to his hat. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and who're you, if I may ask?"

The stranger's air of intimidation suddenly vanished as he pushed up the brim of his fedora and grinned cheerfully. "Len Ferro, Ma-Nigakure. Nice to meet you, tiny people!"

The Suna-nin bristled at the slight on their height, while Naruto's mismatched eyes widened. _Ma-Ni...? Oi, Alex, isn't that the village that the Gormim made up?_ Not even waiting for an answer, he got a better look at the head-(Or rather, hat-)band; sure enough, the symbol carved there was the one that Alex had shown him: an infinity with a thin line drawn across it. Then he took another look at Len more carefully.

The Gorem wore a pair of wooden geta, which added an inch or so to his already immense height. He wore a pair of dark-gray slacks and an untucked, white button up shirt. His sandy-blond hair hung to his jaw and his dark gray (almost iron-colored, in fact) eyes gleamed with a mischievous spark. He put both hands in the pockets of his tan trench coat. Now that Naruto knew the young man wasn't normal, he could sense something…off, about him. Something almost human, but off to the side a bit.

"Ma-Nigakure, huh?" Kankuro asked, smirking, "Never heard of it." It was obvious that he was trying to get a rise out of the young man.

However, Len merely shrugged. "Well, no, it's a relatively small village," he said nonchalantly, "But the Chunin Exams are here, so here we are." Then he glanced up at a tree and blinked. "...And who are you, Batman?"

The Suna-nin and Naruto followed his gaze and saw a short boy with red hair and black-ringed eyes hanging upside down from a tree branch over the road. He carried an enormous gourd on his back, the contents of which rustled as he stared down at them. "What did you do this time, Kankuro?" he asked in a dry, dead voice.

Kankuro paled and backed up. "G-Gaara!" he gasped, "I-it's nothing, we were just-"

"Shut up. I don't even care." With a Shunshin made of sand, Gaara appeared in the middle of the group. "My apologies for my teammate's behavior. He seems to be forgetting that we are this village's guests," the boy droned to Naruto, staring at him with pupil-less, sea-foam-green eyes.

_Wow, he sounds just like Carlos at five in the morning,_ Len thought.

Naruto nodded hesitantly. "Er, that's alright. No one was hurt and, probably, nothing would have happened if Len-san hadn't stepped in."

_Um, Naruto-kun? I think you might want to get ready to run._

_Why's that, Kina-chan?_

_Well, I told you that the Bijuu sometimes communicate with each other telepathically, right? Well, because my Yin half is gone, the others don't really recognize me enough to talk to me, but I just picked up a signal from this guy belonging to Shukaku, the Ichibi. Since we're so close, he- or she, depending on who his first host was -might recognize me inside you and try to kill you. He/she kinda hates me._

_Got it...I think,_ Naruto thought. Any further comment was interrupted by Gaara.

"What is your name?" the Suna red-head asked bluntly, his gourd making a hissing sound.

Temari winced. _Oh, poor guy! Gaara's interested. Shame, he was kinda cute._

Unaware of the small funeral Temari was holding for him, Naruto just shrugged. "I already said that my name is Naruto Uzumaki," he said, "And you are?"

The boy began to emit Killing Intent. "Sabaku no Gaara," he said lowly, "Naruto Uzumaki…your blood shall do nicely to appease my mother's shouting."

_Oh great, the first Jinchuuriki I meet and he wants to kill me. Why can't we just be friends?_

_Because I was a jerk to Shukaku when we were young._

_Oh, well fuck you Kina._

_Really?_

Naruto resisted the urge to face-palm and said to Gaara, "Well, if we meet in the Chunin Exams, I guess you'll get your chance."

However, Gaara had seemingly lost interest in him and turned to Len. "You are also strong," he observed, "I think I'll kill you too."

The Gorem just yawned. "Whatever you say, Mr. Sandman," he said lazily, "But I think your mom will find me a tougher fish to chew than most…and I just compared myself to a fish, god damn it."

Everyone around him sweatdropped.

_I like him. He's funny,_ Kina observed.

_Yeah, like the color of a week old rutabaga,_ Alex agreed sourly.

The blond sweatdropped further. _Okay, what the fuck did you even say, just now? That can't be a real word._

_Believe it._

_And now I want to punch you for some odd reason,_ Naruto muttered mentally, his eyebrow twitching.

Len just grinned at the confusion he'd generated. _I think my work here is done._

(Later, Training ground 7)

"He's late again…" Sakura growled irritably.

Sasuke sighed. "Yes, Sakura, I _see_ that."

"It's bad enough Kakashi-sensei's always late, but Naruto's attitude is just asking for it. If he shows up late one more time I'm gonna punch him into next week!" She exclaimed, clenching her fist.

"Hmph. Do you really think this is like the academy? Naruto might be tough, but he also knows how to avoid a hit. Also, in case you haven't noticed, he's made it quite clear that trying to hit him outside of training is a no go." Over the months, one could note the fact that Sasuke had begun to use more words to ensure people would know when he thought they were idiots. It was rather similar to Naruto's own way of talking.

The pink-haired girl bit her lip. She didn't want to agree with her crushes assessments that the former dead last was no longer such, but she didn't want to disagree either.

At that moment, the blond subject of their discussion walked up, looking perplexed. "Hi," he said absently, "Sorry I'm late, but I had a very strange encounter with some foreign ninja."

"Liar! Why would there be foreign ninja in the village?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Gee, I dunno, maybe because of the _Chunin Exams?"_

At that moment, Kakashi appeared. "Yo."

"You're late!" Sakura fired off at once.

"Mah, sorry about that; I was at a Jonin meeting that got dragged out a bit." The pinkette reloaded for another accusation, only to stop when she realized the excuse actually sounded legitimate. "Also, I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and entered you in the Chunin Exams. Here are your entry forms." He showed them three sheets of paper.

Naruto was the first to take his, not even bothering to act shocked. "Thanks," he said, grinning slightly, "Nice to know you have that much faith in us."

Sasuke snorted and took his. "So, I guess that's why I saw some ninja with weird hitai-ate around here."

"See? Told you," the blond said.

Sakura took the last form, looking troubled. "Are you sure we can do this, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Of course. If you three work together, I'm sure you'll just be fine."

_Wonder how long he spent rehearsing that,_ Alex snorted, _Nice try, Kakashi, but it'll take more than that to fool _this_ sensei._

"Anyway, if you feel like coming, just sign the form and be sure to show up at the academy in three days," the silver-haired Jonin finished, "I suggest you think long and hard about this decision, so I'll give you the day off to do what you want. Ja ne." Without another word, he Shunshin'd away.

Naruto shook his head ruefully at his sensei. "Lazy bastard," he said lightly. Then he brightened. "I wonder if Hina-chan will be entering..." he wandered off in search of his girlfriend.

Sakura sweatdropped. "He's entering the Chunin Exams, which are supposedly one of the most challenging events a Genin can face, and he worries about the girl he likes. Doesn't that get annoying, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was already walking in a separate direction. "Trust me, I'm used to the feeling," he said shortly, not even sparing her a glance, "If you're so worried about the Exams, either don't come for them, or train some more. Just a suggestion."

Sakura blinked. "Um...thank you?"

(Elsewhere)

_So, what does canon say about the Exams, Alex?_ Naruto asked as he searched for Hinata.

Alex chuckled, _Well, I've never seen a world where your team didn't enter them. In canon, they're a pretty major event. There are three tests, each are just about the same in every world._

_I don't suppose you'd want to tell me what's in each one?_ Naruto inquired dryly, knowing Alex probably wouldn't.

However, the elder Blacklight thought for a moment before speaking. _No. That wouldn't be as much fun. I will give you hints for the first two, though. In the first Exam, you're supposed to cheat very subtly. In the second, you'll have to give it everything you've got going for you. Any less and you might very well die._

Naruto was surprised with how forthcoming his other tenant was being. _And that's all you're willing to say?_

_Nothing more. By the way, Hinata's right behind you._

A pair of slender arms wrapped his middle from behind, pulling him into a soft hug. "Hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata murmured into his back.

He twisted himself around to get a good look at the blue-haired girl. "Heya, Hina-chan!" he said cheerfully, "I was just looking for you. I have a question."

"What is it?"

Naruto scratched his cheek and asked, "I was just wondering, but did your sensei enter your team in the Chunin Exams?"

Her lavender eyes widened and she let go of him. "I- well, yes. Are you entering as well, Naruto-kun?" she asked tentatively.

He grinned. "Yep! From what I hear, this is gonna be real interesting."

"Nn." Suddenly Hinata's grip on his jacket became vice like. "N-Naruto-kun!" Her normally gentle voice came out as a terrified whisper, "Whatever you do, _don't_ t-turn around." In an instant she seemed to shrink into herself, her skin turning almost white and she shook with fear, staring fixedly at Naruto's chest.

Confused, Naruto did as he was told and put his arms around the frightened girl. "What is it?" he asked quietly. Hinata was not very nervous any more, but he'd never seen her outright terrified of anything before.

A group of people walked past them, causing her shivering to intensify. "Why is this place so damn green?" asked one of them, a girl, "I mean, I know this is Konoha and all, but they don't need to advertise everywhere."

"I doubt anyone really cares, Karui," sighed another female voice, "Also, it's not cool to knock someone else's village just 'cause it looks different."

Naruto chanced a look over at the group as they walked away, Hinata still holding him immobile. There were three people, two of with rather dark skin and two girls. The third member, a dark boy with blond hair was mumbling, "But what if someone does care? And that person turns out to be a Jonin-level Konoha-nin? He might get us kicked out of here before we enter the exams-"

Naruto sweatdropped as a red-haired girl smacked the boy. "Shut the hell up, Omoi! There's no way that'll happen, you're just over-thinking again."

"-but then, before we can even leave, we get captured by the Hyuuga and then tortured because of the kidnapping attempt from eight years ago..." Omoi continued blithely.

The other girl, who was taller with white skin and blond hair, pointed out, "I think Bee-sensei would notice that."

However, Naruto did not pay attention to the rest of the conversation, because when the foreign boy mentioned a kidnapping, Hinata abruptly slumped against him in a faint.

"O-oi, Hinata!" Naruto quickly caught her before she could fall and picked her up in a fireman's carry. "What's wrong with you?" he asked her, worried, _Alex, who were those guys?_

Alex frowned. _They didn't appear for the Exams, but those three are a Genin team from Kumogakure. That must be why she freaked out so much..._

In Naruto's mind, a cardboard box opened and he briefly saw a memory of Gato threatening to send Hinata to Kumo, which caused the girl to cower at the mention of the name. "Why would she be afraid of Kumo?" he asked the air.

_They mentioned a kidnapping attempt from eight years ago,_ Kina observed, _Maybe she was the one who was kidnapped._

_She was,_ Alex admitted sourly, _Kumo's well known for trying to obtain bloodlines through unscrupulous means. The Sandaime Raikage tried to have your mother kidnapped when she was young. The Yondaime Raikage wasn't much better. He sent an ambassador to Konoha to sign a peace-treaty, only to try and kidnap a little girl from the Hyuuga clan. Guess who that was._

Naruto looked down at his unconscious girlfriend. "Hinata..." he whispered, horrified. No wonder she was afraid of Kumo; having to go through such an experience at the age of four (if his math was right) must have been a very traumatic experience. Not only that, but if they'd succeeded... Naruto felt a prickle of rage at anyone who would have used a young girl for breeding a bloodline. Then it passed, as most of his negative emotions did, these days. He just shook his head. "Let's get you home, eh?" he murmured to the blue-haired girl. He took off at a run, using chakra to propel him towards the Hyuuga compound.

(Hotel on the other side of town)

Carlos bit into his apple absently, staring up at the ceiling from where he lay on his bed. Three long months had gone by for the Technology Gorem. To say he was bored was an understatement. Though he kept up a stoic appearance, in truth he was going out of his mind. Besides teaching Olivia a few odds and ends about how things worked for Gormim when Nord got distracted, he really had nothing to do except go over his catalogue, and even that had lost its appeal after a while. Carlos growled in frustration, the sound muffled by the apple in his mouth. He took another bite. _I can see why Ryuk likes these so much,_ some inane part of his binary brain thought, _I mean, it's a totally different kind of apple and it probably won't become a drug for me. I'm a damn machine. I don't get addictions. Oh god, three more days of this bullshit._ Finally he sat up and took a bite of the fruit. _"Where the fuck is everybody?"_ he roared, his tattoos flaring an ominous chartreuse.

There was a crash from the kitchen. "Carlos, keep it down!" Olivia yelled, "You made me break this crane!" Hearing only a groan of suffering, the newcomer of the Gormim sighed and looked at her newest creation, which was currently in pieces on the floor. With a flick of her wrist, the pieces rejoined each other, forming a tiny green crane, which shook itself and squawked at her. "Not that I blame him," she muttered, "This is getting ridiculous. I knew I should have listened to Len and gone out, but no. I had to build up my stock." She picked up the living glass bird and tucked it into one of the many pockets on her sweater. Then she strained and spat a large glob of more glass onto the kitchen table with a cross between a splat and a clunk.

*SPLUNK* See?

Olivia wiped the corner of her mouth and started kneading the glass as if it were clay, the hard fluid giving way easily before her fingers. _Why did Dro give me such a _stupid_ element?_ She thought, _I mean, at least with technology you get to use all these awesome weapons. Glass in not an element that can be easily found naturally. The best I can do with it is make my art._

At that moment, someone knocked at the door. "Hey," said Nord's voice on the other side, "Can someone let me in? I forgot my key."

Olivia left her current project to open the front door. Nord stood on the other side, looking sheepish. "Er, hi."

"Hi," the Vetra girl said dully, "Why didn't you use the air in the keyhole to pick the lock?"

The team sensei looked shocked. "And deprive you of something to do? Perish the thought!"

"Hey, you gonna move any time soon?" Asked Len from behind him.

Olivia jumped, how she had not noticed him?

As the two males entered, Carlos came tearing out of the bedroom, looking slightly crazed. "Len!" He roared, charging at the tall teen, "I need something distracting and I need it five minutes ago!"

The Ferro blinked at his friend's attack. Then, with a deadpan expression, he slapped Carlos across the face with a large hand. The force of the hit sent the Binarius off to the side, where he hit a wall. "Jesus, woman! I'm only gone for an hour and you get all needy."

Olivia laughed. She couldn't help it, right now anything seemed funny, and Len calling Carlos a woman definitely counted as something.

"Shut the fuck up," Carlos muttered, rubbing his cheek and standing up, "I needed that. God damn it, three more days. Three. Fucking. Days."

Nord nodded in agreement. "Now all we need is Grace," he added, making everyone groan.

"So, find anything out there, Len?" the sole female asked.

Len's face broke out in a wide grin. "I'll say I did!" he said, "Thanks to Fuoca, I got to meet the Sand Trio and Naruto!"

Olivia was instantly jealous. "What? Are you serious? What were they like?"

He scratched his chin. "Eh, Gaara said he wanted to kill me 'cause he thought I was strong. Well, I _am_ but that's beside the point. Naruto…" he frowned, the expression looking out of place, "Naruto's a whole lot different from canon. I mean, yeah, he wear orange, but he makes it look pretty badass. He also didn't shout while I was there."

"There's the real trick," Carlos muttered.

Nord was nodding in agreement. "I could have told you that. I fought him in Wave Arc, and he's pretty strong. I still kicked his ass, though. Also, did you sense his Potential Infinity?"

Len nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. Wonder what house he'll be in."

"Potential Infinity?" asked Olivia, looking to Carlos for details.

The green-haired boy sighed. "It's the mark that appears when someone has the potential to become a Gorem. It becomes a Negative Infinity when they're fully inducted," he explained. Then he said to Nord, "You know, you're the one who should explain things here. You're the sensei, so it's your responsibility."

"Why? You do a fine enough job yourself."

"Stay out of this, Len."

Olivia blinked, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, guys? Where are Blair and Fuoca?"

Everyone stopped to think about that. "…Blair's probably trying to catch Fuoca and stop her from burning the village to the ground," Nord said thoughtfully.

"I wish her luck," Len snorted, "We don't call her 'Little Fire-hazard' for nothing. Seriously, if you get her to hold still you can use her head as a stovetop. She can make a very good egg."

Olivia sweat-dropped. _This is the weirdest family ever._

(Three days later)

Naruto arrived at the doors of the ninja academy with great anticipation roiling inside him. True, he'd had to leave Mido at home, but the excitement was so much he could barely contain it. There was just something about the day had him feeling absolutely giddy. He could not help grinning as he saw Sasuke and Sakura standing at the entrance, waiting for him. Fortunately, he managed to keep his smile from becoming as manic as he felt it should be. "So, you two decided to show up, eh?" he asked cheerfully.

Sasuke smirked. "What, and miss the chance to trounce you in front of everyone around? Hmph, you don't know me that well, do you?"

"I might not be the best that I could be, but I'll help," Sakura promised resolutely.

This time, Naruto couldn't stop himself, and his grin bared his sharp teeth. "Excellent! Let's get in there and kick some ass." He led the way and pushed open the familiar doors. "The form said that the first exam would be on the third floor..." Naruto mumbled as he tramped up the stairs. Two flights up, he stopped at a large crowd, perplexed, "What's all this?"

The entrance to the stairwell, which read '3-1,' was being blocked by two boys. "The Chunin Exams aren't just for any weaklings," One of them was saying with a smirk, "You have to be tougher than we were to stand a chance."

"Who cares about that?" a familiar girl with twin buns in her hair asked, "Please, just let us pass!"

As Naruto watched, Rock Lee tried to walk past the two guards (who also looked familiar), only to be roughly shoved back. _He must be trying to hide his skills,_ he thought.

"Excuse me." Everyone looked to see Len Ferro. How no one had noticed him before was a mystery, as he towered head and shoulders above everyone. However, it was his teammate who'd spoken, a shorter teen wearing a dark red vest and camouflage pants with green, angular lines running down his arms and hands. He was scowling at the two guards behind a pair of rectangular glasses. "I don't really care whether it's tough or not, to be honest. But some of us have been training for months for this event. You're standing in the path of a bunch of impatient ninja. I suggest you move before you get flattened."

The Genin on the left scoffed. "You and what army?"

Carlos shrugged and jerked his thumb at Len. "No army, just living steam-roller. Len?"

Len snorted and strode toward the doorway, with everyone parting to either side to let him through. When he reached the guards, he did not even stop, just continued. The assembled Genin heard two dull 'whumps' as the two Exam veterans were knocked clear off their feet when Len walked into them.

_Amazing! To possess such strength without even trying!_ Lee thought, his eyes shining.

_That was both cool and not cool at the same time,_ thought one of the female Kumo-nin.

_What the hell do they feed this guy!_ Naruto wondered. The sign above the doorway suddenly changed to indicate that this was, in fact, only the second floor. "Looks like we still need to go up," he murmured to Sasuke and Sakura, "Those assholes put a Genjutsu on the door."

As they walked past the door, a voice said, "So, you decided to come here as well, Uzumaki."

_Oh god, not this guy,_ Naruto thought. He slowly turned to see Neji Hyuuga looking down his nose at him, as usual. "What?" He asked flatly.

Hinata's cousin merely snorted. "Those two imbeciles had one thing right: these Exams are no place for unprepared rookies. I suggest you not bother with continuing onward."

The blond found himself smirking. "Why's that, Neji? Scared of the competition?"

"Hardly. But if I must deal with weaklings like you and my worthless cousin, then this Exam will be for nothing," Neji sneered.

Naruto's face became stony and he took a step forward, only for Sasuke to put a hand on his shoulder. "Forget about it," he muttered, "Save it for later."

The scowl did not leave Naruto's face, nor did he move. He continued to stare at Neji, incensed. Finally, without blinking, he said, "It seems you forgot my warning from last time, so I'll repeat it for you. If you ever degrade Hinata like that in front of me again, I will eat you." Without waiting for a retort, he shook off Sasuke's hand and stalked away.

Ignoring the disapproving look that Tenten gave him, Neji rolled his shoulders, feeling an uncomfortable itching in his back at those words.

As they walked along the hallway, they caught a glimpse of Lee attempting to fight Len with very little success, as the young man was not budging an inch from the barrage of kicks and punches coming his way. Len caught Naruto's eye and grinned secretively. The shorter blond merely rolled his eyes and kept walking. Finally, they found Kakashi standing in front of a pair of doors.

"Mah, so you decided to all show up," he greeted lazily, "Good thing, too, otherwise none of you would have been able to enter at all."

Sakura stiffened in surprise. _So, if I hadn't decided to go...Sasuke-kun and Naruto would have failed before they had a chance!_

Sasuke merely scowled in irritation. _Hn. So, that was the case._

Alex had already informed Naruto of this, so he was expecting it. "So, are you here just to tell us that?" he asked bluntly.

The silver-haired Jonin chuckled. "Eh, not really. Nothing really meaningful, apart from the usual advice."

"Which is?"

The single eye became, for a moment, deadly serious. "...Don't die."

They all gulped.

Then Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, even if I don't say that." He stepped out of the way, and gestured for them to enter.

Naruto eased the doors open and led the way in. They were standing in a large room full of people, all clustered in groups and muttering to each other. Everyone glanced their way as they walked in, but then lost interest.

_Look at that, Naruto,_ Alex said reverently, _these are the potential ninjas of this generation. They might not be much now, but given time, they could learn much._ There was a hungry note in his voice as he said this.

"Sasuke-kun!" Squealed a female voice.

_And then, of course, there are those that don't really have much of a chance…_

Ino Yamanaka came flying out of nowhere and latched onto Sasuke's arm. "I knew you'd show up, Sasuke-kun!" she crooned happily. She shot Sakura a scornful look. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in. How's it going, Forehead?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched at the old insult. "Get the hell off Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" She yelled, shaking her fist at the platinum blond.

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru as he trudged up to them with Choji behind him, "Figures she'd spot Sasuke the moment he came in. Hey Naruto," he added, not looking the least bit surprised to notice him there, "Still wearing the orange, I see."

Naruto nodded firmly. "I was born orange and I will die orange," he said. Then he smelled wet dog and deadpanned. "Hello, Kiba," he said without turning around, only to be greeted by a growl.

"Teme," the animalistic boy said darkly, "I knew you'd show up here. I can't wait to beat your ass and show Hinata I'm the better choice."

Naruto merely grinned at the yelp of pain Kiba gave out as Hinata poked him sharply in the side. "Don't count on it, mutt," she said irritably. Then her expression softened as Naruto turned to look at her. "Hello, Naruto-kun," she said quietly, stepping in to hug him, "I'm sorry about what happened...before."

"Ah, it's not a problem," he told her gently, "I know why it happened, so it's understandable."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Y-you know?" she asked. Then she shook her head, "Of course you do. You have an encyclopedia of canon, don't you?" A normal bystander would not have been able to understand that last statement, but she was referring to Alex. "It's just...when I think about that night, I shut down. I can't help it. Kiba, shut up!"

Kiba was growling at the closeness the two were showing. Naruto flared his killing intent slightly at the dog boy, making him back off quickly.

"Jeez…you're all so loud," sighed an unfamiliar voice. The three teams looked around to see a teen with silver hair and gray and purple clothing. He was wearing a Konoha hitai-ate and a pair of round glasses. "You kids might want to keep it down. You're attracting a lot of attention." At that moment, they all noticed the light Killing Intent brushing at them from all sides. "You're probably the only rookies here. All of the other ninjas in here have probably been training for years, so having a bunch of obviously new Genin participating must be damaging to their pride."

"Yeah? And who the hell are you, smart guy?" asked Kiba challengingly.

The boy seemed unphased by the rude question. "Kabuto Yakushi," he said, bowing with a small smirk, "I'm a veteran of these Exams."

He wasn't sure what it was, but something about Kabuto seemed off to Naruto. He could sense a large amount of power and bloodlust hidden behind that benign smile that made his stomach ache with hunger. "How many times have you taken it?" he asked.

"This is the seventh time," the glasses-wearing boy admitted, "Since the Exam is held every six months, this is my fourth year."

"Wow! You must suck!" Kiba laughed loudly, causing everyone to sigh in exasperation.

"Perhaps so," Kabuto said neutrally, "But because of that, I have a lot of information about the participants." He pulled out a deck of blank cards. "These are my Ninja Info cards. They have a Genjutsu on them to only reveal their information when I apply my chakra to them. Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll give you some data on a participant. Who do you want to know about?"

_Should I go for it, Alex?_

_If you want. Keep in mind, though, this Kabuto guy is supposed to be a Genin._

Wondering what that cryptic statement meant. Naruto opened his mouth to make a suggestion, but Kiba beat him to it. "Naruto Uzumaki," the dog boy said.

Naruto just rolled his eyes as Kabuto shuffled his cards. "Hm…here it is. Naruto Uzumaki: teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Affiliation: Konohagakure no Sato. Genjutsu: nonexistent, Taijutsu: above average, Ninjutsu: above average, chakra control: average, chakra reserves: absurdly high. Has completed 65 D-rank missions, 1 B-rank mission and…ah, I can't say. Possesses an ability of unknown origin and capability, possibly a bloodline."

Naruto stiffened. _Supposed to be a Genin…_ he thought, remembering what Alex had said. . Instantly he placed Kabuto on his 'suspicious' list (Which, admittedly, was not that long). _Next chance I get, I'm marking him._ Then he cleared his throat and said, "Could you look up Sabaku no Gaara of Sunagakure and Len Ferro of Ma-Nigakure?" deliberately ignoring the stares that everyone was giving him. He also made a mental note to give Kiba a kick in the ass for having Kabuto reveal information on him.

Kabuto looked disappointed. "Aw man, you already know their names and villages. That takes all the fun out of it." He pulled out a card and channeled chakra into it. "Hm, let's see, Sabaku no Gaara: teammates are his two older siblings, Temari and Kankuro. Affiliation: Sunagakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Sand). Genjutsu: unknown, Taijutsu: low, Ninjutsu: high, chakra control: high, chakra reserves: very high. He has completed 78 D-rank missions, 20 C-rank, and 5 B-ranked. It's noted that he has come back from all these missions without a scratch on him."

Naruto glanced around and saw the red-haired boy glaring at him, the expression enhanced by the thick, dark rings around his eyes. "And the other guy?" he asked.

Kabuto shrugged. "Sorry, but I can't help you there. I've tried to dig up what I can about Ma-Nigakure, but barely anyone has ever even heard of it. I only really know about villages that have participated in the Chunin Exams before, and smaller new villages like Otogakure (Hidden Sound) and Ma-Nigakure are unknown variables."

A hand covered in green tattoos clapped itself on the ponytailed boy's shoulder. "And that's just how we'd like to keep it, thank you," Carlos said warningly.

Kabuto jumped back. _I could barely sense him,_ he thought, staring glasses to glasses with the green-haired boy, _Interesting..._ He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry about that. Just thought I'd help my fellow Genin."

Carlos's expression was unreadable, even as his eyes moved to glance over Kabuto's shoulder.

That was all the warning he needed; Kabuto leaped to the side just in time to avoid a thrown kunai, which thudded into the ground. He turned to see a bandaged boy from Oto speeding towards him, crouched low and swinging a gauntleted fist at him in an uppercut. The gray-haired boy bent backward, avoiding the punch with room to spare. He smirked at the attacking ninja, who had simply stopped after failing to hit him. Then his vision began to blur and his stomach lurched while his nose dripped blood. He hunched over and vomited violently, his glasses falling off and shattering.

"Put this on your cards," growled the bandaged ninja, straightening up with his teammates behind him, "Otogakure's gonna glaze through these Exams and leave all you chumps in the dust."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, impressed. _He did something just now, even if his attack missed._ He eyed the gauntlet that the boy wore, which had several holes spaced along it. _Perhaps he intended to miss in the first place...Kina? What do you think?_

Inside Naruto's mindscape, Kina swished her bushy tail in thought. _Well, they're from Otogakure, so maybe it had something to do with sound? I mean, sound can shatter glass at the right frequency, and look at that guy's glasses. They're broken. Maybe a sound-based jutsu would have other effects..._

_Maybe,_ Naruto agreed.

Meanwhile, Len had taken notice of the proceedings below him. "Leave us in the dust?" he asked, walking over to the Oto-nin, "Don't get ahead of yourself, fuckass. You're not the only reject who wants a bit of action." This comment instantly earned him a bit of KI from nearly everyone in the room.

"What, you mean like yourself?" asked one of the Oto-nin's teammates, a boy with a faceguard and spiked black hair.

"Damn straight!" Said Len, grinning, "If anyone's gonna get left in the dust, it's you, blowhard."

The boy bristled and took a menacing step forward. "Zaku! Forget it, he's not worth it," the bandaged boy snapped.

"But Dosu-"

The third teammate, a girl with extremely long black hair, rolled her eyes. "For fuck's sake, Zaku, this guy's just egging you on!"

Carlos slapped Len on the back of the head (An impressive feat). "Len, stop antagonizing the mooks. There'll be time enough for that later."

"Oh my god, what was I thinking when I volunteered for this," muttered Olivia, "I'm so gonna kill Blair!"

Before anyone could do anything further, a deep voice barked, "All right maggots, settle down!" there was an explosion of smoke by the far wall. "There will be no unsanctioned fighting while I'm here. That goes double for you guys from Otogakure and Ma-Nigakure. Control yourselves or I'll have you thrown out!"

Dosu relaxed. "My apologies. We just got a bit...excited."

The smoke cleared, revealing a tall man in a dark trench coat (Which Len gave a nod of respect). His face was crisscrossed with scars, and he wore his hitai-ate as a bandana over his bald head. He grinned sadistically. "My name is Ibiki Morino, proctor for the first exam. I'm gonna make sure you maggots are cut down to size. Everyone line up, single file, and take a number. That number will be your seating arrangement."

Naruto stiffened, even as he moved to join the quickly-forming line. _Seating arrangement? We're not fighting? Well, what the hell are we doing?_ Several minutes later, he was seated at a desk-bench-thing (Really, what do they call those?), feeling rather confused.

"Um," mumbled a quiet voice. He turned to see Hinata seated next to him. "Good luck, Naruto-kun," she said softly.

He nodded, smiling. "Yeah. You too."

Ibiki called for attention. "Alright, the other Proctors are going to pass out the tests. Make sure to put your name at the top."

At those words, Naruto could have sworn he felt his heart stop. The first test...was a _written_ exam. _Log, please just strike me now,_ he thought, putting his face in his hands.

.

AN: And that's it. This chapter was rather fast-paced and mostly Gormim-oriented. Still, I felt this was the best time to end it. Also, if anyone has not read my other fics, please feel free to do so!

Summary notes:  
1. The Gormim have a lot of stuff that they could use to travel to other worlds. For those who missed the references, they have Mermaid Springs from Okami, Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter, the sign for Highway 35 from Hot wheels (Hey, I liked the movie when I was a kid, so sue me), and the TARDIS from Doctor Who.  
2. The method they used to go to the Naruto-verse was a method taken from the Ravirn-verse. I had to put spaces in it so that the doc manager doesn't mistake it for a link and remove it.  
3. When the Gormim go to a Naruto-verse, their body develops a chakra network. For first-timers like Olivia, it's quite painful.  
4. Konohamaru does not exist in this story. Instead, Naruto got to meet the Sand Trio via Fuoca. This is also how he meets Len.  
5. Len is a TALL motherfucker. And yes, he wears a fedora.  
6. Hinata is afraid of Kumo-nins because of her attempted kidnapping. Face it, if you were a small child being kidnapped for a potentially horrible fate, you'd be afraid too. This will probably play a role later.  
7. Alex gives some slight spoilers.  
8. Some Gormim interaction. Carlos can be really grouchy when he's bored. He also likes apples.  
9. Naruto did not bring Mido with him because he didn't know whether it would be allowed or not.  
10. Len knocks over Izumo and Kotetsu just by walking into them. Comedy aside, this should tell you something about Len.  
11. Yay, more Kiba bashing. Why can I not stop myself from doing this?  
12. Finally, someone who Kabuto _doesn't_ know about!  
13. The first Exam is about to begin. How's Naruto gonna get out of this one?

Also, for anyone who didn't bother to read the first AN, Blair's status in the Harem is more uncertain rather than definite. If anyone can help me come up with a way to have Blair establish a relationship with Naruto, please suggest something in a review. In fact, do the same for anyone in the harem, because I have only the faintest inkling of what to do.

So, that's pretty much it. Please leave a review.

North South out.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Ugh, I can't believe I went a whole week without writing this. Granted I was trying to write other stuff, but I need to get back on track! It didn't help that I feel the need to write other stories…whatever, let's get started.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.

"Speech"  
/Translation/Alternate language\  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 22: The first test and the Forest.

The Gormim team was not surprised in the least at the nature of the first Exam. Having studied canon, they knew the purpose of it, as well as how they would deal with it. As they all moved to sit down, Carlos tossed a tiny earpiece to Len, who caught it without the Chunin proctors seeing. Olivia had earlier declined to wear one, claiming she'd worked out her own way to pass the test.

Naruto put his head in his hands. _Why?_ he thought furiously, _why did it have to be the _one_ thing I'm bad at?_

Hinata sighed at her beloved's reaction. He'd always been terrible at tests that required him to sit still and write down answers. She desperately wanted to help him, but most likely she'd get kicked out.

At the front of the room, Ibiki spoke up. "Alright maggots, listen up!"

"Popo's gonna teach you the pecking order," Len whispered mockingly, making Carlos twitch.

"Ibiki's gonna teach you the pecking order," the scarred man unknowingly echoed, (Len barely suppressed a hoot of laughter), "There are nine questions on these tests; each is one point. At the end of forty-five minutes, I'll give you a tenth question verbally. The way this works is that you each start with ten points already, but lose a point for every wrong answer. At the end, your team's scores will be added up, so if one of you fails, you _all_ fail!" He grinned manically at this, seeing the suddenly fearful looks on the Genin's faces.

Naruto could very acutely feel the Killing Intent of his teammates on his back. After all, he _was_ the most likely to fail, given his track record with tests.

However, Ibiki wasn't done. "Not only that, but I feel it prudent to tell you that if you are caught cheating, you will lose three points; so if you get caught three times, you're out."

Rather than cause an outcry, for the most part the assembled Genin considered that rule shrewdly. Normally if you were caught cheating, you were kicked out automatically. If they were giving you chances to cheat…

Naruto frowned, remembering what Alex had said a few days prior. While annoyingly mysterious and cryptic, the Blacklight's words were starting to make sense. They were, in fact, supposed to cheat. _Damn! I just _had_ to leave Mido at home today of all days! I could have turned him invisible and made him spy on someone._ Hearing Ibiki declare that they could start, Naruto flipped over the paper. _Eesh! No wonder you have to cheat! These questions are way above Genin standard. Damn it, how do I cheat? Think, man, think!_

Like Naruto, most of the other assembled ninjas had also figured out the secret of the test and were taking advantage of whatever skills they had. Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy the pencil movements of the guy in front of him, Gaara was using an eyeball made out of sand, Shino was discreetly using his insects, Tenten was using an arrangements of mirrors on the ceiling (How she got those up there was a mystery), which Lee was also using, and both Neji and Hinata used their Byakugan, all to great effect. Kiba was apparently having Akamaru tell him the answers, but he got marked down because of the noise the dog was making.

However, other people were not so lucky in their attempts and failed. "Forty-two, Thirty-eight, and Eighty-seven!" Barked Ibiki, "You three fail; get the hell out of here!"

The three Iwa-nin tried to protest, only to be knocked out and carried from the room. The test continued with increased tension. Every couple of minutes another team would get caught for the last time and then kicked out.

Olivia pulled out a pair of wire-framed glasses and put them on, peering at her paper through them. She pretended to adjust them while actually looking at the person in front of her. She channeled chakra into the lenses, activating their X-ray ability and used it to see through the boy to his test.

Carlos (And Sakura), being the machine that he was, had no need to cheat and wrote down the answers on his own, before using the earpiece he'd given Len to broadcast the solutions to the other Gorem.

Naruto was still trying to figure out how he was supposed to cheat. _Think! What do I have that I can use discreetly? I can't make another familiar; the smoke would tell everyone what I was doing. I can't use my rear eyes from this angle. I do have the Kariname no jutsu, but I'd need a connection with a person who can already see the tests…_ With a jolt, Naruto realized what he'd have to do. He lowered his right arm below the desk line and surreptitiously made it creep along to the side until he found Hinata.

The Hyuuga heiress went very still as her secret boyfriend put his hand on her leg. Feeling slightly elated, she saw black markings appear on the back of the hand through her Byakugan, which formed words.

Need help. Help me?

Inwardly, she preened happily. Naruto-kun needed her help! Trying not to make herself noticeable, she nodded slightly.

Thx. You're a sweetheart.

Hinata no longer fainted when Naruto complimented her, but she still felt like her insides would melt with happiness. She reflexively put her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to hide her scarlet blush. However, she started as Naruto began channeling chakra into her. He made a hand-seal under the desk. _**Kariname no jutsu!**_

If the jutsu had been strange when Naruto used it on a bunch of crows, using it with a Byakugan-user was, in a way, weirder. He found it disconcerting to see himself and also everything around him/her in all directions. Hinata, it seemed, could see nearly everything in the room, including the answers to the questions. Naruto quickly wrote down the answers that the green-haired Ma-Ni ninja had put.

Hinata jumped when Naruto finally squeezed her thigh and took his hand away, satisfied. She chanced a look at him and saw that he was smiling in thanks. She smiled back shyly, though she wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

A while later, Ibiki walked around to the front of his desk. "Alright, pencils down! It's time for the last question." Everyone fixed their attention on him as the Chunin proctors went around collecting test papers. "Before I deliver this question, I'm going to give you a choice. You can choose whether or not you want to answer the question. If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero and you will automatically fail."

"What?" Kiba yelled, "Why would we do something that stupid?"

The Jonin glared menacingly at the dog boy until he backed down. "...If you choose to take the question," he continued in a deadly voice, "and get it wrong, not only will you and your team fail, you will be barred from all future Chunin Exams and forever remain a Genin!"

Everyone started to complain at this declaration. "Hang on!" called Temari, "There are people here from past exams! How come this time's any different?"

"You just had bad enough luck to have me this time around," the scarred man sneered, "So now, will you take it?"

For a minute, nobody moved. Then one Genin stood up, his hand raised. "I quit!" he cried, shaking with fear, "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it!" More and more people began to back out, filing out of the room with their teammates.

_Hm, about half of them are gone already,_ Ibiki thought calculatingly, _and that Hyuuga girl looks like she might cave as well._

Indeed, Hinata was unsure as to whether she could continue or not. _If I mess this up now, I'll never be able to catch up with Naruto-kun. But if I back down, all the work I've done until now will all have been for nothing. What do I do?_

Naruto saw the insecurity in his girlfriend's eyes and quickly tried to assuage it. He put his hand on top of hers, causing her to look at him in surprise. "You'll be fine," He told her quietly, "Even if, by some bizarre accident you fail..." Hinata looked away in depression, but Naruto cupped her chin and made her look at him, "Whatever rank you are doesn't make a difference as to how strong you are. You won't fall behind. I'll even wait for you if that's what it takes."

The pale-eyed girl tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Hey, you two! Keep it down over there; this is an exam, not a date!" Ibiki barked at them irritably.

Hinata squeaked and curled up in a ball, her face burning while several other Genin snickered. Naruto got a tick mark on his forehead and he leveled a malevolent glare at the scarred Jonin. "Hey jackass, thanks for ruining the fucking moment," he growled, his eyes flickering green and red, "Seriously, really needed that right now." This caused a few more laughs, though these were more at Ibiki's expense.

The head of the T & I Department merely snorted and looked back at the rest of the room. "So, what's it gonna be?" he asked, "Does anyone still wanna back out?"

However, no one moved for another five minutes. Finally, Ibiki grinned. "Well then…to the twenty-six teams remaining: congratulations! You all pass."

There was much confusion among the assembled shinobi. Hinata even uncurled herself to look at the proctor. "Wait, what?" Asked the red-headed girl from Kumo, "We passed? But, what about the tenth question?"

"He already asked it," drawled Carlos in a bored voice, "Weren't you listening? He said, 'Will you take it?' It's like taking a mission whose parameters are almost entirely unknown."

"Exactly," Ibiki acknowledged, "As a Chunin, you may sometimes have to take a mission where there is almost no information on what to expect. If you screw up on those, there's a chance you and your team may never come back. Those previous nine questions were to test your prowess at information-gathering. Some of you did better than others," here he glanced at Kiba, who looked uncomfortable, "Some had advantages that gave you the edge you needed," he gave Hinata a pointed look, making the girl flush at the attention, "And those that could not do it with enough stealth were caught and failed. In a world such as ours, information is power…" He removed his bandana, causing everyone to gasp and some to turn green. The Jonin's bald scalp was crisscrossed with knife scars, burn marks, and holes from screws. It was clear that the man had been tortured extensively in the past. "…And some people will do anything to obtain that power," he finished, scowling as he put the hitai-ate back on, "However, all of you have managed to clear all the obstacles I threw at you and pass the test. Again, congratulations. You're now one step closer to becoming a Chunin."

At that precise moment, a black bundle crashed through a window. Before everyone could get up, the bundle unfolded outward as a banner, which was pinned into place by some thrown kunai. Beneath the banner stood a familiar purple-haired young woman with a trench coat over a fishnet shirt. She folded her arms under her impressive chest and smirked. "Alright brats, enough celebrating! I'm the proctor for the second exam, Anko Mitarashi! Everyone follow me!"

There was only a stunned silence as everyone stared at her. Quite a few (Kiba included) were trying not to drool. Ibiki stuck his head out from behind the banner. "You really need to work on your entrance, Anko," he deadpanned, "Not only did you arrive early and break a window, you got the banner up backwards."

Anko flinched and scowled at her boss before noticing just how many people there were in the room. "What the hell? Seventy-eight Genin? You must be losing your touch, old man."

Ibiki glowered at her. "It's not that. We just had an exceptional bunch this year."

"Whatever. Alright you lot, meet me at Training Ground 44 in ten minutes! Don't be late!" with that declaration, she leaped back out the window.

Everyone stared at where the seemingly demented woman had left. Ibiki rolled his eyes and said, "You heard her. Don't hang around here; get going."

As they left, Hinata gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek before reluctantly leaving to join her team, which made him grin.

(Later: Training Ground 44, the Forest of Death)

Anko was waiting for them all in front of the training ground. The area itself was fenced off, with trees towering over the proceedings with an ominous shade.

"Alright, kiddies, listen up!" barked the Tokubetsu Jonin, "This place here is where your next test will take place." She swept her arm dramatically to the side. "This is the Forest of Death: an area of about twenty kilometers in diameter or so, and full of huge predators that would like nothing better than to feast on your flesh." She smiled creepily at the Genin, some of whom were looking nervous.

Naruto smirked and called. "Oi, if one of those predators is you, I'm not going anywhere near there!"

Anko glared at Naruto as everyone laughed. "Oh, think it's funny, do you brat?" she asked menacingly.

"Immensely," the orange-wearing boy replied with a straight face. He tilted his head to avoid a kunai that zipped by his face. Even as it passed by, Naruto saw Anko appear behind him with his rear eyes. She held another kunai to his throat and was pressed up against his back, giving him a good feel of her mesh-covered breasts. There was a slight sting as she scratched his cheek, drawing blood. "You know," she whispered softly, "Cocky, confident brats like you always die in the messiest ways, spilling that delicious blood of yours all over the place."

Naruto shivered as he felt her warm tongue caress his cut cheek, lapping up the blood. "Great, just what I needed, a vampire-snake-woman."

Anko smirked. "Oh, don't worry, you won't catch anything from me," she teased.

Naruto's eye twitched. "...I should be the one saying that."

Anko frowned at that answer but before she could reply, she whirled around, eyes narrowed dangerously at the kunai being held loosely next to her own throat. The knife was being held by the long tongue of a Kusagakure ninja.

"I just wanted to return your kunai," the androgynous Genin said cheerfully.

Anko was slightly confused. "Oh…thank you," she said, gingerly taking the kunai from the woman's (?) tongue, wiping the saliva off on her coat. Then she got back in form with a blood-thirsty grin. "By the way, if you sneak up on me like that again, I'll kill you."

The Kusa-nin merely smiled from under her hat. "Ah, yes. I'll be sure to remember that," she hissed. However, she started at a mild amount of Killing Intent that was being directed at her. Looking around, she caught sight of that green-haired boy from Ma-Nigakure. He was giving the Kusa Genin a look that said, 'you're not fooling anyone.' _Interesting,_ the disguised ninja thought musingly, _I wonder if he suspects who I am at all?_

Carlos did indeed know that the Kusa-nin was actually Orochimaru in disguise. Try as he might, he could not resist releasing a small amount of Killing Intent at the source of many of Konoha's future problems. _I bet you find it real funny, not having your own student recognize you,_ he thought, his circuits flickering in agitation. Despite the Gormim's general rule against judging a person for any wrong done by an alternate version of them, Carlos felt quite justified in his hatred toward the despicable man.

Olivia put a hand on his arm to make him stop. "Careful," she whispered, "Someone might notice."

The Binarius blinked, glanced down at the shifting patterns on his arm and quickly stilled them, though he could not reign in the ill will he felt towards the hidden snake.

Meanwhile, Anko was explaining the process of the second Exam. "Alright, so this test will be cutting your numbers in half at most," she said, "You and your team will be going into this forest-" there was a loud screech from within the foliage, punctuating her words "-for seven days. Each team will be given a scroll, either labeled 'Heaven,' or 'Earth.' Your objective is to locate and obtain the other scroll from one of the other teams so you have the whole set."

_So only half of us will be able to pass..._ thought Olivia, nodding.

"Not only that, but the various man-eating beasts, insects, and even plants in there will probably reduce your numbers even further; I fully expect that some of you won't make it out alive. However, if by some miracle you _do_ get your hands on both scrolls, then you must get to the tower located at the center of this forest, where you will wait the remainder of the week. However, you may _only_ go to the tower once you have the scrolls. You'll have to camp out in the forest."

"What will we do for food?" asked Choji, clutching his bag of chips for dear life.

Anko laughed. "There are plenty of mushrooms and berries that are safe! Eat those!"

Choji gulped and carefully put his bag away.

"Anything else?" Anko asked herself, before remembering, "Oh yeah, under no circumstances are you to open either scroll until you get to the tower, otherwise you'll fail."

"How will you know if we open them?" Len asked loudly, "Will you be watching us?"

The trench coat-wearing woman laughed. "Oh, why spoil it for you? You'll find out if you do it. Now…" She waved lazily and some more Chunin appeared, carrying stacks of papers. "Before you can go in there, you guys will have to sign these waivers. What with the risk of death and all, we need your signature saying you accept the dangerous nature and blah, blah, blah. Basically, it's so your parents can't retaliate if you don't come home."

Everyone sweat-dropped at her blasé attitude. Naruto raised his hand and asked, "Hey, what about people with no family? Do they still have to sign?"

Everyone who knew Naruto winced at that. Sasuke glared at his blond teammate, which he ignored.

Anko rolled her brown eyes. "Nice try, kid, but yeah, you still have to, for documentation or some crap."

"Can we still back out?" asked Shikamaru in his lazy drawl.

"Nope! If your whole team does not show up at the tower, you'll still fail."

Ino gave her teammate a look that told her opinion of that idea and Shikamaru sighed, muttering "Troublesome," under his breath.

As the Chunin continued to hand out papers, Anko continued, "Since it's already pretty late in the day, the second Test will begin tomorrow. Might as well give you one more day to think over your pitiful life!" She cackled evilly, causing many to sweat-drop.

Naruto took a pen from one of the Chunin and signed his waiver quickly before handing it back and walking away.

"Er, excuse me," said a female voice. Naruto glanced up to see the kunoichi from Ma-Ni. She wore her headband on her forehead, holding back her spiky white hair. She wore a thick, mustard yellow coat covered in pockets, as well as a dark body-suit underneath. Besides being slim, Naruto got a sense of fragility from her, as if she could break very easily, like glass. Her eyes were oddly iridescent and full of color. She looked slightly nervous, standing before him. "Sorry, but my team would like to talk to you," she said quickly.

_What should I do, Alex?_ he thought.

Alex thought about it, observing her through his vessel's eyes. _She's definitely a Gorem, though I don't recognize her,_ he said, _Might as well see what she and her team want._

"Yeah, alright," Naruto said out loud, addressing the girl. She smiled shakily and led him over to her two teammates. Len grinned in greeting while Carlos watched him neutrally. "Er, hi," he said awkwardly, "What did you want?"

Carlos eyed him shrewdly. "Naruto-san, do you know who and what we are?" the green-haired teen asked bluntly, "Nord-sensei told us that you were aware of the Gormim. Is this true?"

Surprised, the blond nodded. "I- yeah, I do."

"How odd," Carlos mused, "Very few people are ever aware of us. Only one other version of you knew who we were before being told, though he was a little...off-kilter."

He stopped with a grimace, letting Naruto collect his thoughts. "Well, I was also told by a Gorem, though he doesn't know you specifically. He says he probably left before you three joined."

Len looked hopeful. "Say, would Alex Mercer happen to be the name of this mystery Gorem, would it?"

The shorter blond mentally cursed himself for giving the game away already. "Yes. What about it?" he asked shortly.

The Ferro merely grinned. "No reason," he said, "Although, seeing as we're both Gormim and you aren't attacking us, perhaps it'd be a good idea to be allies, no?"

Naruto jerked, surprised. "What?"

"In the forest," Carlos clarified, "There will be no need for our teams to attack each other, seeing as there are many other teams to get scrolls from. Also, should you need it, we would be willing to offer our assistance."

"We would?" Olivia asked under her breath.

The Kyuubi jinchuuriki couldn't help but feel suspicious. "Why would you help me? Even if we are both Gormim, we're still members of different villages."

Shrugging, Len pointed out, "True, but we're not an _enemy_ village. Besides, there are no rules stating that two teams cannot team up in that forest."

In an attempt to try and be helpful, Olivia said hesitantly, "You-you don't have to accept if you don't want to..."

Silently, Carlos nodded in agreement, giving his female teammate an approving look.

Naruto frowned, thinking it over. He considered asking Alex for advice, but decided that wouldn't help much. Kina was fine with whatever he decided. Finally, he looked up and said unconcernedly, "Well, I'm fine with us not attacking each other- though I don't think I can really speak for my teammates -but don't feel the need to go out of your way to help us unnecessarily. If you happen across us while we're in danger and decide to help, that's alright by me."

All three of them nodded in agreement and silently watched him depart.

(Hyuuga Compound)

Hinata lay on her bed, hugging her pillow joyfully. She had entered the Chunin Exams and not failed miserably! Not only had she passed the first exam with flying colors, but she'd been able to help Naruto-kun. True, the upcoming test sounded pretty scary, but she knew she could handle it. Hopefully.

"Hm, someone's in a good mood," Hanabi noted teasingly, looking in from the doorway, "Did you do well in that Exam?"

"Hai," the elder sister answered, smiling abashedly over her pillow, "I passed. It was actually really easy. And," Her voice became an excited whisper, "I kissed Naruto-kun! In front of everyone!"

Hanabi resisted the urge to shiver at the giggle her Nee-san gave. Sure, she thought her sister's secret boyfriend was pretty cute at times (Though a bit rude), but it gave her the creeps to see Hinata act so...girly.

As she thought this, Naruto suddenly materialized, climbing in through the window. "Yo," he grunted as he dropped to the floor, "Sorry about that, I got held up." He nodded at Hanabi as he sat on the bed. "Hey, Hanabi-chan."

"Hello, Naruto-san," the younger Hyuuga deadpanned, "Breaking and entering again, I see."

The orange-wearing boy snorted. "Bah, the front door can't handle me! The window on the other hand is perfectly understanding. Besides, no one wants to let me in to see Hina-chan for some reason." He gently poked his girlfriend in the side and said, "So, how do you feel?"

Hinata sat up and kissed him. "D-does that answer your question?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows for a second before grinning back. "Certainly." He leaned in to kiss her again.

_Right, I'm out of here,_ Hanabi thought. She closed the door and ran down the hall.

As the door shut with a snap, Naruto separated himself from Hinata, much to the latter's disappointment. "Heh, sorry," he said with a smile, "But I just wanted to give you a heads up about those Gormim."

Her face became serious. "W-what about them?" she asked.

"I talked to them. It seems they want to become allied with my team."

Hinata cocked her head curiously. "Why would they do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not sure. They seem to think that I'm one of them, but apart from that, they gave no reason. I don't know if they won't attack the other Konoha teams or just ours. If you see them, it might be a good idea to hide. That huge guy, Len-san, is definitely really strong. When we came in this morning, we saw him knock to guys down just by walking into them. That kunoichi of theirs is a real mystery; no clue what she can do. That goes double for that guy with the tattoos. I get the feeling that he's the most dangerous."

Hinata frowned as she listened, nodding slightly to show she understood. "So, if we run into them, we should run?" as he nodded, she said, "I only hope I can get Kiba to agree. I'm sure Shino-san will listen to me, but Kiba is likely to get us caught and beaten." She looked down, "To be honest, I don't like our chances. I'm not sure if we're strong enough to pass this test."

"Hey, none of that now!" Naruto admonished lightly, pulling his girlfriend close, "Just believe that you can, keep an eye out for trouble, and try to get a scroll. Do that and you'll be fine." Seeing that she still looked unconvinced, Naruto tilted her head and pressed his lips to hers.

Hinata melted into the kiss almost instantly with a whimper. Unbidden, her tongue slipped past her lips and came up against Naruto's. She felt him start in surprise, before granting her entrance.

Naruto had never kissed anyone in this manner before, but he had to try anyway. He coiled his own tongue around hers as she squirmed in his arms. To his surprise she 'fought' back, trying to force her tongue out of his and coil hers instead.

For a minute they kept up the 'tongue war,' until finally they broke apart from air. Naruto noticed a string of saliva connecting them briefly, though it quickly broke and vanished. Hinata buried her face in his chest, her face red. She felt exhilarated at the kiss. _No wonder so many people like to do it,_ she thought dazedly, recalling the sensation of his tongue and hers sliding along each other.

"That was…" Naruto said quietly.

She sighed in agreement.

The door slid open a crack and a lavender eye peered in. "Onee-chan," it was Hanabi, "Tou-san wants you to get to sleep early, since you've got that test tomorrow."

Naruto groaned as she closed the door, "Real killjoy, your dad is." He stood up, "Though he's right; you should get some sleep."

He made to go to the darkening window, but Hinata squeaked, "Wait! Could you…could you stay with me?"

"You sure you want that?" he asked cautiously, "Your dad might walk in on us."

Hinata had thought of that. "You could turn invisible and hide under the covers," she said, blushing.

The prospect of that appealed to Naruto, so he nodded. Truth be told, it got rather lonely for him in his apartment, so the opportunity to sleep near his girlfriend was much better in comparison. He turned his back while she changed into her night clothes, though that was rather pointless with his rear eyes. Still, until Hinata told him otherwise, he wasn't going to watch her.

Finally, she told him he could look. She was wearing a set of pale blue flannel pajamas, biting her lip and nervously poking her fingertips together. It made her look absolutely adorable, and he told her so. "Th-these have been getting small on me lately," she mumbled, tugging at a sleeve.

When she said that, Naruto couldn't help but notice that Hinata had left the top two buttons undone on her shirt, as well as the way her pants seemed a little snug at her hips. The normally-innocent pajamas were now showing the young Blacklight the generous curves that his girlfriend normally hid beneath her baggy clothes.

He put his arms around her and held her close. She was still only tall enough to come up to his chin. "You're so soft and warm," he murmured, planting a kiss on her silky hair.

She could feel his heartbeat as she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "How do you do that?" she murmured, "Every time I feel like giving up on something, you say or do just the right thing and I feel like I can't do anything wrong." There was a long silence. "I love you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled before letting go, crawling into the bed and shimmering into invisibility. "I love you too, Watashi no Hinata." (Literally 'my sunny place')

_Awww!_ Squealed Kina.

Hinata gasped, her heart fluttering. "Oh...Naruto-kun..." she breathed.

"Eh? S-sorry, do you not like it?" he asked, suddenly nervous, "I-if you don't like it, I can stop. It's just that...you're the first girl, well, the first person really, who's ever made me feel like this."

She crawled under her covers and lay on her side, facing her invisible boyfriend. "Feel like what?" she asked gently.

Naruto seemed to struggle with his words. "I don't know. It's not like anything I've ever felt before."

"Let me help you." Carefully, she put out her hands, feeling along the boy's body until she found his face. The she took a hold of his head and pulled it to her breast. "Do you hear that, Naruto-kun?" she asked, "Can you feel my heart beating?"

Naruto froze, scarcely breathing at the soft sensation on his cheek. "Yeah," he said quietly.

She whispered in his ear, "Does that sound like how you feel?"

"Yes…"

Hinata kissed the top of his head. "That's love. If you want to call me that nickname because I make you feel love, I will gladly be 'yours.'" Naruto nodded, accidentally rubbing his cheek against her breast. He tried to pull back, but she merely tightened her grip. "No. Stay that way." Naruto stiffened in surprise, then buried his face in his girlfriend's chest, causing her to give an 'eep!' of embarrassment. "N-Naruto-kun-!"

"So soft." The quiet words of wonderment stopped her.

"Naruto-kun?" But the invisible blond had drifted into slumber, soothed by the warmth and love of being near her, his head cushioned by her breasts. "…Good night, Naruto-kun."

(Next morning)

Naruto and Hinata walked to Training Ground 44 together. Along the way, they stopped to pick up Mido (With the Blacklight construct miffed at being forgotten) and a couple of cinnamon buns for Hinata, who ate them with surprising voracity.

When they finally separated, Naruto joined his impatient team. "You're late," Sakura groused.

"You're early," Naruto retorted. He glanced at Sasuke, "We get our scroll yet?"

The last Uchiha nodded and held up a white scroll labeled 'Heaven.'

Meanwhile, the Gormim team had been given their own black 'Earth' scroll. "So, which one of us keeps this?" asked Olivia.

Len tossed the scroll to his green-haired compatriot. "Carlos. No offence, rookie, but you're the weakest one, so it'd be easy to take the scroll-"

"Hey!"

"And Len's job will be to secure the other scroll," Carlos finished calmly, "Our plan of action is that we should split up, cover more ground. For you, Olivia, this will be an opportunity to test your abilities in combat."

"Right, 'cause that's a good idea..."

One of the proctors came up to Team 7 and led them to a gate numbered 13. "Wait here until Anko begins the Exam," he told them.

Sure enough, Anko hopped up onto the fence around the forest and raised her voice. "Alright! You all had better get ready to move! Happy hunting for the scrolls!" With the blaring of an alarm, the gates slid open. Instantly Team 7 leaped through, dashing off into the forest. "Don't die," she mumbled.

(With Gormim Team)

When the gate opened, the three interdimensional interlopers blasted into the trees. As they soared, they exchanged one last look and a nod. When they next landed on a tree branch, Olivia and Len split off, heading left and right respectively. Carlos continued forward.

Olivia reached into one of her pockets. _Let's see if we can't put a crack in their defense._

Carlos pocketed the Earth scroll and drew a pistol, cocking it firmly. _Enacting objective,_ he thought, his circuits pulsing.

As Len streaked through the area, a black aura manifested around him. If one were to look, they would see a mark shaped like a spiked skull in the air. Len's mind landed on a suitable quote and twisted it to fit the situation. _As I walk through the Forest with the Shadow of Death…_

AN: And so begins the Forest of Death Arc. Yes, an Arc. There's a lot of epicness coming up, most of it involving the Gormim, that cannot be contained by one chapter. Also, my apologies for taking so long. I hit a bit of a slow period.

Summary time:  
1. Carlos, like Sakura, is smart enough that he doesn't need to cheat. Len, on the other hand, needs help. (and cookies)  
2. As a Glass Elemental, Olivia can endow glass with any power she needs. Hence, X-ray glasses.  
3. A return of the Kariname no Jutsu! Once again, **I'd like to credit and thank Xavon Wrentaile, both for creating this jutsu and letting me use it respectively.**  
4. Naruto gives Hinata a smaller version of the canon speech. Only for Ibiki to make fun of them. Ass.  
5. Anko's back, plus interaction with Naruto. Hopefully, this Arc will help me build their relationship, along with others in the Harem.  
6. Carlos, due to events that transpired in Patchwork Maelstrom, is rather sore at Orochimaru. However, the Gormim have a rule against holding grudges from other lifetimes.  
7. More NaruHina! Sorry, but I just love this pairing with a fiery passion.  
8. Not much else to say, besides that the Gormim are going to be splitting up in the forest.

As some of you have been asking, here's the harem list once again, just to be consistent. Some help and advice would be appreciated in figuring out how to make Naruto develop relationships.

Hinata (Blacklight)  
Anko (Blacklight)  
Tenten (Ferro)  
Temari (Baro)  
Blair (Souse)  
Kin (Din)  
Tayuya (Din)  
Isaribi (Souse)  
Yugito (Lampe)  
Fuu (Gloma)  
Matabi (Terme)  
Choumei (Baro)  
Shukaku/Karura (Petra)  
Kina/Kurama (Terme)  
Hanabi (Nocturne)  
Mei (Souse)  
Shion (Magia)  
Koyuki? (Ghiaccio)  
Haku (Ghiaccio)  
Amaru (Blacklight)  
Samui (Lampe)

That's it.

Anyway, before I go, here are some Omakes.

Omake 1: I warned you.

Carlos quirked an eyebrow when Len barreled through the two Chunin and the doorway. He eyed the sign, which changed to say 2-1. He knew this was the wrong way.

A moment later, Len stumped out of the doorway, frowning.

Carlos couldn't resist. "I warned you about the stairs, Len," he said with a straight face.

"Fuck you."

Omake 2: Make the choice.

As Ibiki explained the rules of the last question, Len leaned down to whisper in Carlos's ear. "Can't abscond, bro."

"Fuck you."

Omake 3: What everyone was thinking during the Exam.

Shino: _..._

Sakura: _Sasuke-kun is right next to me! I can't let him down._

Sasuke: _We're doomed because of Naruto._

Ino: _Hehe, keep writing, forehead girl. Then I'll possess you and steal the answers myself._

Shikamaru: _zzz..._

Choji: _Om nom nom..._

Olivia: _Great. I bring X-ray glasses, and the guy right in front of me is an Aburame. I'm seeing carapaces. Fuck my life._

Carlos: _  
  
  
  
  
_

Len: _Let's see...if I just shift a little to the right...and a little higher...aha! Got you. Hello there!_

Samui: _Oh, damn it. That guy behind me's looking down my shirt. This is so uncool._

.

Well, that's all from me. I'm gonna go work on some of my other stuff, so my next update might be a bit slow. See ya.

North South out.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Alright, might as well get this one out of the way. I shouldn't keep you waiting. Also, my apologies in advance if this chapter is a bit shorter than normal.

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto or Prototype. However, I do own the Gormim.

"Speech"  
/Translation/Alternate language\  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 23: The clashing of weapons and armor

Len bounded through the forest, grinning excitedly. It had been a while since he'd been able to cut loose on a potential opponent. His geta-clad feet hit the tree branch with a crack as he flew through the air, leaving an impression in the bark when he leaped away.

Suddenly, he shifted his large body and kicked a tree trunk off to the left. The change in direction sent him toward the ground, just in time to avoid the kunai thrown his way. He hit the ground at a roll, rising upright at the end of it. "Who the hell is interrupting my stroll?" He rumbled, completely at odds with his shit-eating grin.

A pair of ninja from Takigakure landed in front of him, one with a ninjato in his hands, the other preparing to release a jutsu. "Rather cocky of you to be on your own from the beginning," Mocked the one with the sword, "What's the matter big guy, were you slowing down your teammates?"

"Oh, it's just a pair a' mooks," Len muttered in mock-disappointment, "Shame." He turned from the two and walked away slowly, eagerly awaiting their reaction.

"Oi, don't turn your back on an enemy!" Snapped the one doing the hand signs. **"Suiton: Daihodan!" (Water Release: Large Projectile)** He opened his mouth and fired off a large stream of water.

Len looked back and raised his eyebrows at the powerful water shot. _Hm, should I stand here and take it like a man? Nah._ With surprising speed, he leaped out of the way with a spin, the attack blowing by his back. The Gorem reached into his right pocket for a weapon, only to be put off as the other Taki ninja streaked to intercept him with his ninjato. Thinking quickly, Len pulled a length of chain from his pocket and looped it around the wrist of the attacking arm.

Before the Genin could do more than curse, Len twisted his arm, causing him to drop his sword, and flipped him off his feet. He slammed heavily into the ground with the large young man pinning him down with his foot.

At the edge of the clearing, a girl with slightly spiky, mint green hair readied her own attack from concealment.

"Not bad," Len acknowledged with satisfaction, "But I'm not gonna get taken down by a pair of nameless grunts from Taki." His brow suddenly furrowed. "Hang on...a pair...there're supposed to be three of you. Where's your third teammate?"

Taki 2 flinched, knowing the jig was up. Taki 1, however, smirked up at his aggressor. "Heh, who knows? She probably scurried off like the bug she is. Hopefully she's good enough to put you down."

The Gorem frowned in confusion. However, in that moment of silence he heard the faintest hint of a noise. A tiny, soft creaking, like...

Like a bow being drawn back.

"Ah, Christ on a cracker." As he cursed, Len tilted his head to the side in exasperation. As it happened, this unconscious action probably saved his life. The incoming arrow, instead of plunging into his eye and beyond, sheared straight through his right cheek, enhanced and partially camouflaged by Wind Chakra. For Len, it was like someone had traced a line of fire across his face. However, he was used to pain of that level; he merely clapped a hand to the wound with a grunt. _Great,_ he thought in disgust, _An archer. Just what I needed. Whoever is doing it is pretty decent with it as well, if they could cut me this deeply._ He kept Taki 1 pinned to the ground by his sword arm as he looked around, keeping his hand pressed to his cheek. "Not a bad plan," he said, "Engage me with two distracting teammates while the third lies in wait to take me out from a greater range. A good, tried and true strategy. But it'll take more than that to unseat me from this spot."

"Good to know!" Called a female voice mockingly, "I'll be sure to make the next shot count."

Len strained his ears at the voice, trying to pinpoint its owner's location. "How do you plan on doing that?"

His only answer was another Wind-powered arrow. Len Ferro, for all of his bad jokes and references, now found himself the subject of an ironically terrible one. Simply put, he took an arrow to the knee. It was super effective. _"Aaaaargh!"_ The arrow punched straight through the muscle in his calf and came out the other side. While Len was highly resistant to pain, he had his limits. His injured leg crumpled underneath him and he toppled off of Taki 1. _"Mother fucker!"_ he hissed, clutching at the throbbing limb. He tried to stand, but the pain rendered him barely able to kneel. As he struggled to his unhurt knee, Taki 1 stood up, flexing his sword arm.

"Not bad, Fuu," he said grudgingly, "This guy was better than we expected."

Fuu rolled her eyes. "Shut up. I've half a mind to shoot you for the bug comment. You're lucky we all have to get to the tower alive."

Even when grievously wounded, Len couldn't resist a jab. "Oh, a fight amongst comrades? A bad idea in a place like this."

He tried not to roll his eyes as a ninjato was placed at his neck. "Shut up, you," growled Taki 1, apparently still sore about being thrown so easily, "I bet you don't even have a scroll on you."

"Ah...that'd be a no."

"That's what I thought," the green-haired girl muttered, "They wouldn't leave their teammate alone without their scroll. Oi, you two, let's move on and find someone else."

Unfortunately for Len, Taki 1 did not want to listen to his female partner. "Not a chance," he growled, pressing the sword deeper. As he did so, he failed to notice that the blade only barely managed to cut through the skin before stopping, "We should make sure this guy won't just get healed and come back for more."

The dusty blond sighed quietly, drawing attention to himself. "If you think I'm just gonna sit here like a bitch and take it, you've got another thing coming," he told them, reaching surreptitiously into his pocket and pulling out a pocket watch and chain, "Just because I can't walk doesn't mean I can't kick all your asses from here."

"And how are you gonna do that?" asked Fuu derisively, though she scowled at Taki 1, "There are three of us, only one of you, you're injured and have a sword at your throat."

Len's smile became wider. "I know that. I'm just saying that I'll still beat you." At these words, he unleashed his killing intent, manifesting a enormous, black, spiked skull over his shoulder. Each of the Taki-nin felt as if a hundred knives were tearing into their flesh. Fuu's bow dropped from her suddenly numb fingers as her normally caramel-colored skin turned white. Taki 2 froze in the middle of making hand signs. He had known something was up and had tried an attack, but hesitated from the oppressive power that the stranger was throwing off. His hesitation would cost them. Taki 1 was paralyzed by the apparition grinning at him. A black chain extended from the toothy jaw and was wrapped around his neck, choking him. Then he blinked and the skull was gone. While he had been pissing himself, Len had taken the time to climb laboriously to his good leg. The Gorem made it plain just how tall he was as he towered over the terrified ninja, his gray eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. "Boo."

The hapless Genin screamed and swung his ninjato at Len. "No! Get away!"

"Pussy," Len snorted. He swung his pocket watch at the sword. **"Pendolo!" (Italian: Pendulum)** The watch expanded as it flew, unfolding into two sets of three spinning curved blades. The weaponized watch struck the ninjato with a clash and sent the wielder stumbling back. Len smiled as he began to swing the bladed timekeeper by its chain around him in wide, circular arcs. **"Jiton: Tokei Tsubame." (Magnetic Release: Clockwork Swallow)** Glowing purple chakra spread from his hand and down the chain to the blades, causing Pendolo to become a glowing blur of whirring metal. Len changed his grip on the chain as the blade drifted lazily in the air, holding it lightly between his fingers on both hands. The jutsu allowed him to more freely guide his weapon with the lightest. That was fortunate, because Fuu had picked up her bow.

She hurriedly drew an arrow and knocked it as Len turned his head to look at her. **"Fuuton: Soyokaze Kyuzo!" (Wind Release: Zephyr Spike)** She took aim as she charged the arrow with Wind Chakra and fired it. It streaked toward the large Gorem with a flash of green.

"Like I'll get hit a third time," he grumbled. He gave a subtle pull on the chain. Pendolo swerved in midair caught the arrow with its spinning blades, shattering and deflecting it. Now Len looked at Taki 2, who had barely done anything for the entire fight. A flick of his hand sent the watch flying at the unarmed Genin.

Taki 2 yelped and finished his chain of hand seals. "S-**Suiton: Daihodan!"** He spat a stream of water at the deadly flying weapon, hoping to knock it out of the air.

Len did not waste a moment on surprise. He turned and seized Taki 1 by the front of his shirt and charged a large amount of chakra into him. **"Jiton: Jutsu no Shadan!" (Magnetic Release: Technique Breaker)**

The cocky Genin screamed as he was suffused with a purple glow. Rolling his eyes briefly, Len twisted to face the oncoming jutsu and singlehandedly hurled him at it.

Taki 2's eyes widened as his jutsu hit his own teammate. The Magnetic Chakra dispersed on contact with the attack, disrupting the Water Chakra and water molecules that made it up. The whole thing exploded into a cloud of mist with a thunderous crash.

The Genin stood frozen, horrified that his jutsu could be defeated so easily. He never noticed as the spinning, bladed watch whirled up over the cloud and dove toward him. He was knocked off his feet with a cry as the blades cut deeply into his shoulder, rendering his arm (and any attempts to use jutsu) useless.

With a tug, Pendolo flew back to Len, where hovered by his shoulder. Len turned to glance at Fuu, who was staring at the destruction of her team. "You want to be next?" he asked threateningly, but with a wide grin on his face.

She shook her head, her orange eyes wide.

"Alright then, hand over your scroll," he ordered, "I can't walk over there to get it myself, but rest assured, Pendolo can still reach you."

_Right, 'cause that's so reassuring,_ thought Fuu as she reached into the red pack on her back and pulled out a 'Heaven' scroll. She tossed it to Len, who caught it easily.

"Thank you. Now then, **Fuu-san,"** Fuu felt a series of ice-cold wires drawing tight across her body as he said her name, "I want you to take these two incompetents that you call teammates and leave this forest. Disqualify yourself. Do you understand?"

She nodded, her cheeks burning. She somehow knew that she would not be able to disobey him.

As the Taki girl moved to pick up her teammates, Len dug in his pocket, distracted by the crippling pain in his leg. After a moment, he pulled out metallic, yellow and blue pill, which he tossed into his mouth and bit down on. He relaxed as his chakra became stained with healing properties. The wound on his face closed over, leaving a thick scar, which was quickly fading. The small hole that Fuu had punched through his leg stung as it shrank, gradually dwindling away. Finally, Len sighed and put weight on his formerly injured leg. It shook slightly, but was fine otherwise.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, thinking about the battle that had just taken place, "She must have a seriously strong wind affinity; she shot an arrow clean through several layers of living lead and iron. Carlos is _so_ not gonna let me live it down. Maybe it's from the Nanabi or something…" He collapsed Pendolo back into its watch form and pocketed it before limping away. "Man, I hope I don't run into anyone else. I might have to whip out something stronger..."

(With Team 7)

Beneath the shadows of the trees, the tentative team of Genin made their way through the undergrowth. Though they had only been walking for forty-five minutes, they could already hear the screams from the other teams as, one by one, they were taken out.

Sakura stuck behind Sasuke, shivering in fright. She was seriously starting to question her decision to continue this Exam. _We...we could really get killed!_ she thought, _Those other teams won't hesitate to kill us._

Rather than think about potential dangers, however, Sasuke was focusing on his other teammate. To put it plainly, the Uchiha did not quite trust Naruto. Or rather, he remembered the power that the Uzumaki had shown in Wave, and it scared him. Not that he would _ever_ admit that. After Sasuke had unlocked his Sharingan, he had tried to analyze whatever jutsu it was that Naruto used to transform his arms into claws and the like. The young Uchiha quickly realized a problem. Naruto was not using a jutsu; whatever he was doing was completely natural and did not use chakra to activate. Another thing that stumped him was how the guy even learned how to do something like that. Shape-shifting your arms into claws didn't seem like something you could just learn from a scroll.

On top of that, the predatory manner with which he moved now would make anyone nervous. Naruto walked at the front of the group, his mismatched eyes flicking back and forth through the foliage. Mido coiled around his arm under the sleeve of his jacket, ready to spring out if he needed to. The same giddy excitement that Naruto had felt at Wave began welling up again at the prospect of a fight. Shit was going to go down in here, he knew it. Suddenly, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. "Sasuke," he murmured, his body tensing, "On the right. Someone's watching us…"

Instantly Sasuke was on alert, his Sharingan blazing as he surveyed the seemingly empty patch of trees. "Yeah…I see someone." He cursed. "They're using a jutsu!"

Before he could see what kind it was, an almighty gust of wind blasted through the forest. Sasuke and Sakura managed to leap out of the way, but Naruto was caught full on. He yelped as he was lifted off his feet and flung far away.

"Naruto!" cried Sakura in dismay.

"Forget him," said Sasuke curtly, facing away, "We've got bigger problems."

With a high, spine-chilling laugh, a disturbingly limp body dropped out of a tree, before straightening up. "Kukuku...! Very observant of you, Sasuke-kun..."

.

(About a mile away)

"Okay, what the fuck was that?" Naruto groaned, sitting up, "...Feels like when that Nord bastard hit me with a Renkudan, only all over my body."

Kina snickered. _Oddly descriptive of you._

_Shut it. You're not the one who got hit with a wind jutsu going at several miles an hour. Knowing my luck, I'm probably lost._

Mido slid out of his sleeve and shifted into a cat, where he shook himself. He grumpily informed his master that they were indeed lost, with a few potential enemies nearby.

With a sigh, Naruto bent down and patted Mido in thanks. "Great. Seems like I'll have to take a step up to defend myself. Good thing my teammates aren't here, I won't have to worry about protecting them." He dug in his pocket for a storage scroll, which contained his 'Biomass pills.' With a puff of smoke, two black balls were dispensed into his hand. "Here, Mido, eat this," he said, tossing one to the black cat, "We'll need all the help we can get. There're no memories in these, right?"

Mido meowed in confirmation. The memories of the mercenaries he'd eaten were being stored in his own body.

"Right, well, I'm not going to be consuming you any time soon. Down the hatch!" Both Naruto and Mido bit into the compressed Biomass with a loud 'Krk!' It took only a second to kick in; Mido roared as he grew into an enormous black panther. Naruto erupted in black smoke, which swirled for a moment before solidifying into his new Armored form.

Naruto's Armored form was certainly inhuman. It was covered entirely with stone-like plates, with strange grooves running along the surface, all centering on a spiral groove on his abdomen. These grooves were external chakra pathways, which would allow for freer movement when chakra was channeled. Naruto's face was covered in the same stony substance as the rest of his body, except for two holes for his eyes, which were in their Adrenaline State. His eyelids were now made of a thicker skin than before, so as to better protect the eyes from attack. His jaws were full of sharp, shark-like teeth, with no lips. The top of his head was covered in scale-like plates, which flared slightly with his movements. It had taken Naruto many weeks to finally develop his Armored form, but the results were worth it. However, there was one drawback he hadn't thought of: his Armored form did not have proper vocal cords, so was incapable of speech.

_Alright,_ thought Naruto, turning slowly, _Where did you say those enemies were, Mido?_

The panther told him dutifully.

_Excellent,_ he hissed mentally, a wordless growl escaping his mouth, _Let's go!_ Blue energy began to flow through the grooves in his armor, rushing faster and faster as the jerky movements of the heavy armor became smoother. He took several steps, feeling the power behind such simple actions. With a roar, he charged off in the direction that Mido had indicated. He was not as fast as he could be, and he had to use his chakra propulsion jets in order to steer himself and not crash into a tree, but it was nothing Naruto could not handle. He was itching to test his armor on a real enemy.

(Outside the forest)

Anko sat on top of a small shelter just outside the fence of the forest, determinedly munching on some dango. Her hand kept jumping to her shoulder, which had begun throbbing since the previous day. The mark that her sensei had left on her all those years had started acting up. That occasionally happened, but never for so long. It was driving her up the wall with the pain.

"Hey," greeted a voice. She looked down to see a man with a black, hooded jacket. "Anko Mitarashi, right?" he asked.

Frowning, she nodded. "Yeah. Who wants to know?"

The man shrugged. "Alex Mercer, if that means anything to you."

The name did indeed prompt a raised eyebrow from Anko. "Hoh? Kure-chan did mention that her old sensei had come back. That you?"

"Yep. Thought I'd see how old Oro-teme's apprentice was doing," Alex agreed. Seeing her angry expression, he said quickly, "That wasn't supposed to be an insult, merely a statement of my intentions."

"You have a funny way of saying it," the scantily-clad woman huffed, yanking a dango from its skewer, "So, where've you been for the past decade or so?"

A look of confusion crossed the Blacklight's face. "Eh? I thought it was covered in the last Jonin meeting. Due to some odd circumstances, my mind got sealed inside Naruto Uzumaki's."

Anko grimaced. "I hardly ever go to those. I get enough sneers and dirty looks from the civilians as is. 'Sides, I was probably on duty down at the I n' T. So, the Kyuubi brat had you in his gut as well?" She remembered the few times they'd encountered each other. "Say...are you responsible for that weird pet snake of his? 'Cause I don't think I've ever seen a snake like that before."

"You mean Mido? Well, Naruto made him using the powers he got from me, so I'm only very partially responsible..."

"Powers? What powers?" asked the snake user.

Alex sighed in exasperation. "Here we go again," he muttered to himself, "Alright, listen. My whole body, being, essence, _whatever_ you want to call it, is made of a virus that the original me made many, many years ago. Because I am very, very _old_, and have collected a large amount of supernatural beings, the virus in me has evolved to a level where it is more than a simple organism. It allows me to control a substance called Biomass. Biomass, like the virus, is something that has evolved over time for me, so it's a sort of borderline mix between matter and energy, but I just kept the name. In this specific world, I can't use biomass to make chakra, hence my apparent weakness that you probably heard about." He paused to let Anko nod, showing that she was at least following what he was saying. "So, since the virus has evolved past the bounds of the physical, it moved with me when my mind was sealed in Naruto. As a result, Naruto is at least partially infected with it, and has abilities that reflect it, though he can't do _all_ of the things that I can yet. Got it?"

The purple-haired woman snickered. "Wow. You've had to explain that a lot, haven't you?"

"Like you would not believe," the elder Blacklight agreed.

Leaning back and chewing on the now empty skewer, Anko thought back to the previous day. The blood drained from her face and she looked down at Alex, suddenly horrified. "O-oi! Yesterday I drank some of that Uzumaki brat's blood! Am I gonna get infected?"

"Not unless he consciously wanted to. He might find you a bit scary 'cause you always try to chase him, but he doesn't hate you enough to do that. I mean, there was this one girl who he put a bit of the virus in, but that was a fluke, and that strain died off pretty quickly. Although, if you find yourself becoming attracted to him, keep in mind he pretty much qualifies for the CRA."

She blinked at that last one. If she was honest with herself, _totally_ honest, she might admit that the orange-wearing Genin was sort of...cute, in a blunt, stubborn kinda way. She shook her head and scowled at Alex. "Thanks, but I doubt he'd want anything to do with an old reject like me."

"I think you'd be surprised," Alex replied, though a frown passed over his face.

Anko raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

He deadpanned at her. "You're talking to the guy who lives inside his head. I think I know what I'm talking about."

"Ha! Yeah, I guess so," she agreed sheepishly, scratching her head in a Naruto-ish fashion, "You know, you're not such a bad guy, Alex-san! I dunno what Kurenai was complaining about."

"No idea," he smirked. The both shared a grin.

However, at that moment, a Chunin came running up, looking alarmed. "A-Anko-san! We found something you might want to see!"

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, hopping down off the shack, "Sorry, but I gotta go," she said to Alex.

But he shook his head, suddenly serious. "No, I'll go with you. I have a feeling that I know what's going on anyway."

Anko hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Fine." _Whatever it is, it might help to have a more experienced Shinobi nearby..._

[Later]

They reached a small outcropping of rocks, where two more Chunin proctors were waiting for them. "Thank you for coming, Anko-san!" one of them called in relief, only to start in surprise when he recognized Alex, "M-Mercer-san..."

"He was with me at the time and decided to tag along," Anko explained curtly, "So, what's going on here?"

The other Chunin gestured at three bodies which lay on the ground. "We found these three here a few minutes ago. Come take a look."

As the trench coat-wearing woman approached, her eyes widened, then narrowed distastefully. The three bodies, dressed in the outfits of Kusa-nin, had been mutilated; their faces had been ripped from their heads. "This...this is definitely _his_ jutsu..." she murmured darkly.

Alex looked over her shoulder, frowning. "They've been dead for about a day," he said absently, "So whoever killed them did so yesterday."

"We found their IDs on them," one Chunin said nervously. He handed them to Anko.

Her eyes widened as she saw the face of one of the dead ninja. It was the Kusa-nin who had returned her kunai to her. _That technique where he lengthened his tongue!_ Her eyes widened, the blood draining from her face.

"What is it?" asked Alex. He'd seen the look on her face, and while he knew what was on her mind, it was better to ask and keep up appearances.

She shook herself. "I'm going to head into the Forest," she told them grimly, "There's something I need to confirm."

Understanding and suspicion flickered in Alex's eyes, but he said nothing.

Without further ado, the snake-user dashed to one of the open gates into the Forest of Death and entered. _Why have you returned after all this time, sensei?!_

(With Naruto and Mido)

The gray armored creature known as Naruto strolled along the forest floor, seeking prey. Lacking proper nostrils, he was forced to follow behind the panther as it led him to potential enemies. _In hindsight, I left out quite a few crucial details for this form,_ he sighed to himself.

_Well, that just means it has fewer weak spots to be exploited! I mean, I thought the armor is to protect you,_ Kina interjected.

Naruto wriggled his gray tongue along the shark-like teeth in his maw thoughtfully. _Can't argue with that,_ he admitted. All of a sudden, he felt a spike in Killing Intent.

Kina flinched. _Oh no...That's Shukaku's KI! That Gaara kid is nearby._

_That's not all,_ Naruto hissed angrily as he detected more chakra signatures, _Hinata-chan's there as well! She's in danger!_

The fox-girl sighed weakly. She knew there'd be no stopping her warden if the Hyuuga girl was involved. _Please be careful, at least,_ she begged.

_Nn. Mido, go!_ The Jinchuuriki barked at his familiar, which sprang away instantly.

(In a clearing with the Sand Trio)

Temari and Kankuro stood behind Gaara apprehensively. They had run into a cocky team of Ame-nin who'd threatened them for their scroll. The lead Genin had tossed up an umbrella, which launched senbon all over the place. Fortunately for the two older siblings, they had been far enough to avoid the needles. Gaara, with his 'absolute defense' of sand, did not even need to move, as the sand in his gourd automatically hardened into a shell around his person, which stopped the senbon easily. A couple of holes were left in the shell, however, allowing him to continue staring at the Ame-nin.

"Is that all?" he asked in his dry, rasping monotone, "Then I'll be taking that." The sand shield dissolved into a beige tendril, which lashed out and grabbed hold of the discarded umbrella and brought it to Gaara.

Hidden in a bush off to the side, the members of Team 8 watched the fight, almost too scared to breathe. _He's manipulating the sand without any handsigns,_ thought Hinata, _just like Ga-san did with wind._

"What the hell?" muttered one of the Ame-nin. Before anything else could be said, however, Gaara acted once more.

The whispered jutsu went almost unheard. **"Sabaku Kyuu." (Sand Binding Coffin)** The sand at Gaara's feet surged forward again, quickly swamping the lead Genin like a striking snake. The red-headed Suna-nin lazily raised his hand, causing the cocoon of sand to rise as well. "You should have fled while you had the chance," he droned, his expression never changing, "But now, Mother wants your blood." His fingers curled into a claw.

"Oh, no," whispered Hinata, horrified. With her Byakugan, she was able to observe the flow of Gaara's chakra in the sand, making it vividly clear to her what was about to happen. She looked away, not wanting to see this.

The Ame-nin also sensed what was going to happen and began struggling, begging to be released.

**"Sabaku Sōsō!" (Sand Waterfall Funeral)**

The cocoon of sand imploded, crushing the Genin with such force that he was liquefied in an instant. Blood and gore exploded everywhere, raining down on those assembled. It quickly became clear why Gaara had picked up the umbrella.

"N-no way!" gasped one of the other Genin. He quickly backed up, pulling a scroll out of his pocket and throwing it to them. "Here! Take our scroll, please! Just don't kill us!"

Gaara only hissed, "Such weak blood…more!" His sand lashed out and seized the hapless young men.

"O-oi, Gaara," gulped Kankuro, "You don't have to kill them, do you? I mean, they gave us their scroll-"

"**Sabaku Kyuu! Sabaku S****ō****sō!"**

Hinata flinched as there were two more explosions of blood. "Holy shit," muttered Kiba, who was shaking as well, "If that guy looks this way, we are _dead!_"

The Hyuuga girl managed not to scream 'YOU THINK?!' in his face, though the dirty look she gave him might have gotten the point across.

"Still not enough," Gaara growled, his pale cyan eyes wide with apparent madness, "Mother demands more blood; _I need more!"_

Temari stepped up. "That's enough, Gaara!" she snapped forcefully.

A tan tendril snaked around her neck loosely. "Would you like to be next?" The red-head's words had dropped to a raspy whisper, but it still carried enough menace to make most people shit themselves.

However, the blond Suna-Kunoichi had grown up as Gaara's older sister, and so wasn't most people. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him, but she made no moves otherwise. "You'll regret it if you kill me," she said simply.

"Why? Because we are meant to be siblings? Don't be foolish."

Kankuro had gone white, looking back and forth between his older sister and younger brother. _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!_ he thought.

"Of course not. I know that means nothing to you," Temari replied evenly, "But you need both of us to be alive in order to move on in the exam. And if we pass, you might be able to fight that Uzumaki guy.

Gaara froze for a minute as he thought that over. Finally, he raised his arm to summon the cork of his gourd. "Very well," he said neutrally, returning to his impassivity, "You will live for now."

The members of Team 8 sighed in relief, glad that the danger had passed.

"…But you will not interfere while I kill the three hiding in the bushes."

Shino, Kiba, and Hinata all paled. For once, they all thought the same thing: _Oh shit!_

The sand coiled at Gaara's feet. **"Suna Shigure!" (Sand Drizzle)** He barked. Tiny bullets of sand-grains shot out at high speed into the bushes.

However, the three tracking Genin had had the foresight to scatter before he could attack. Shino and Kiba darted behind the trees to try and avoid the sand, while Hinata was forced to dodge, using her Byakugan to see every projectile and her extreme flexibility to avoid them.

_Don't get hit…don't get hit!_ She thought furiously as she weaved between the attacks. It would do no good if she were to lose concentration by thinking of what if she failed. However, even the most graceful dancer cannot avoid every drop of rain. Hinata cried out in pain as two bullets struck her legs, the sand clinging to her and making her falter enough for more to hit her body. _No!_ The sand spread over her, binding her limbs.

Gaara grunted as his sand lifted the struggling girl into the clearing with his sand. "I got one, at least," he murmured.

Hinata let out a whimper, cursing herself for showing such weakness. The blond girl gave her a pitying look as the sand tightened around her.

"**Sabaku-!"**

There was a rush of displaced air and she gave a squeak of surprise as she landed on her ass, just outside the clearing. She looked around, disoriented, and saw a large black Panther with green eyes padding up to her. "M-Mido-kun!" she gasped, recognizing the big cat instantly, "Then…" she turned to the clearing and gasped again. Standing where she had been was a large, gray-armored humanoid creature, which was growling at Gaara angrily, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth.

The red-head seemed mostly unmoved, though his eyes narrowed. "What are you?" he asked.

The creature only gave a cross between a bark and a snarl, glaring back with bright green eyes.

"…I see. You don't speak. Perhaps you will understand this." Gaara's eyes narrowed further, almost to slits, as his Killing Intent erupted.

Naruto flinched and hissed. The Jinchuuriki's KI felt like a scorching desert wind, seeping into his joints and buffeting his body uncomfortably, even with his armor.

Kina gave an indignant cry. _He's using Shukaku's youki! If he thinks he can just intimidate us into backing down, he's got another thing coming!_

_Damn straight!_ Naruto agreed vehemently, _Let's give them a taste of what they're _really_ dealing with! No one tries to kill Hinata and gets away with it!_

The spiral groove on Naruto's abdomen began to glow an ominous red-orange. The glow quickly spread through the other grooves along his armor, as well as illuminating certain runes carved between them; runes such as 'evil,' 'demon,' etc. A red haze of power settled over Naruto as his eyes became scarlet.

Gaara's eyes widened. "What?!" His sand reacted automatically, gathering into a shield in front him. Temari and Kankuro knew enough to jump behind him.

A silence fell over the clearing as the armored Blacklight drew in a breath. The red haze shimmered and thickened.

"**GRAAAAAGH!"** A wave of pure chakra erupted from Naruto with a roar, blasting back everything around him. Gaara's shield was forced to harden almost to stone in order to block the wave, but even then, his hair blew from the force.

Within his mind, the sandy demon Shukaku stirred. **"This power…I know it,"** it growled, **"So, you finally show your face…Kurama."**

Naruto kept roaring, intent on eradicating the barrier that stood between him and the one who had tried to kill Hinata. The heat of his chakra, mixed with the potent youki provided by Kina, was causing the grains of sand to glow brightly. By the time the wave finally dissipated, Gaara was left with a wall of solid glass, with only a fraction of his sand left over.

With a groan, Naruto stumbled slightly and his armor dissolved into black vapor, leaving him normal again. "An' let that be a lesson to ya, bastard," he panted.

"Uzumaki!" Gaara actually looked surprised. A frustrated expression settled over his face. "Why did you interfere with my kill?"

Naruto grunted and pointed at Hinata over his shoulder. "She's my girlfriend, Sandman. Try and remember that before I have to kill ya for hurtin' the ones I love."

"Love is a foolish thing to fight for," Gaara growled.

"Says the guy with 'Ai' (love) tattooed on his forehead," snarked Naruto. Then his face darkened, "An' I don't wanna hear from you about bein' foolish, with over half your defenses rendered useless. You attack anyone dear to me an' I'll give you more than a little glass, got me?"

Kankuro stepped up. "Listen kid, I dunno how strong you are or you think you are, but you can't beat Gaara."

"Right," agreed Temari, though she was a bit more subdued, "He's got the Ichibi no Shukaku sealed inside him, and no human can hope to defeat someone like him."

To everyone's surprise, Naruto began to laugh. It started out as a small chuckle, but grew into a spine-chilling laugh that made everyone (apart from Hinata, who was still sitting with Mido)Take an involuntary step back. "No human can hope to defeat him?" Naruto cackled, sounding deranged, "Fine. Fine! Let's see how a non-human does!" With a swirl of black, his armor reformed, the lines on its surface blazing blue with chakra.

Gaara grinned widely, looking equally mad. "Come to me, Naruto Uzumaki! Let me soak my sand with your blood!_ Prove to me that I am alive!"_

Obviously, Naruto could not respond verbally, so he settled for firing chakra jets from his calves and feet. He rocketed forward with a fist cocked back and a roar. Temari and Kankuro jumped back as Gaara's remaining sand rose up to intercept.

Naruto's stony fist met the sand with a loud *CRACK!* Cracks spider-webbed along the surface of the shield from the impact, but it held firm. Naruto grunted in frustration, before more chakra flared along his forearm and shoulder. He threw his whole weight fist-first

Gaara merely stood still as the sand-shield began to cave under the weight of the armored creature. _Such power…_ he thought, _By killing him, I will truly be establishing my existence…_

At that moment, though, Gaara's shield shattered under the force Naruto threw into it. Time seemed to slow down as Naruto stumbled through the crumbling stone. It only took him a second to right himself. Gaara's eyes widened an instant before his enemy's next punch caught him squarely in the cheek. Even with his extra armor of sand, he felt the shock of the blow knock him clean off his feet.

Temari gaped as her seemingly untouchable younger brother flew back to slam into a tree. She stared at the other blond with new eyes, and a tiny glimmer of hope ignited in her chest. Maybe here, at last, was someone who could stop her brother from destroying himself. At the same time, as he transformed back to normal, she felt something else ignite in her belly.

Snorting, Naruto stepped up to his downed opponent. "That enough proof for you?" he asked derisively.

A muscle twitched in the Ichibi Jinchuuriki's jaw as he slowly stood up, sand flaking off his face. "You…" he growled malevolently.

"I fully recommend that you leave now," said Naruto nonchalantly, "You're almost out of sand, and that armor I hit must take a lot of chakra. If you want to kill me…" he spread his arms mockingly, "Then wait your damn turn at the end of this exam."

The red-head glared at him, his oppressive KI acting up again.

Now the blond's expression hardened. "That was a recommendation, Tanuki-brat. Not a request. Get out of here; you have both scrolls already."

For a long time, they stared at each other, an irresistible force facing an immovable object. Despite the apparent nature of these two concepts, one had to give. So that's what happened. "…this is not over," rasped Gaara, settling back into his dry monotone, "Kankuro, Temari, we're leaving." With a swirl of sand, Gaara vanished in a Shunshin, quickly followed by Kankuro.

Temari, on the other hand, remained where she was, staring at Naruto intently. "What?" he asked.

To his surprise, she flushed slightly, though her gaze was steady. "That was," she began, "Unbelievable. No one's ever been able to land a hit on Gaara before, and you made him actually run away!"

"I take it that's a big fuckin' deal," he commented, smirking.

However, he was shocked when the blond girl stepped into his personal space and kissed him on the cheek. "You'll still probably die," she murmured, "but maybe you won't. Good luck." She Shunshined, leaving a bewildered Naruto in the clearing.

A moment later, a tiny, blue-haired missile crashed into him and made him stumble as Hinata threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Words seemed to have failed her as she clung to him, putting all of her emotions (love, fear, excitement, horror, shame, pride) into her hug. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed silently into his jacket.

Naruto's face softened and he stroked her soft hair. "Hey, you," he said quietly, "You alright?"

"It seems illogical to ask such a thing," commented Shino, who had just emerged from behind his tree, "When she is clearly not alright,"

Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Call it an obligation, Shino. It shows that I care enough to ask."

The shady boy merely nodded.

Kiba emerged from his own tree, looking pale. He stared at Naruto, apparently lost for words.

"What?" asked Naruto, this time aggressively, "Are you planning on kissing me too? 'Cause if you are, I wouldn't bother; I ain't turnin' into a girl for ya."

That seemed to snap Kiba out of whatever trance he was in. "Screw you!" he cried angrily, "I'm not into guys, especially freaks like you!"

The blond boy merely raised an eye brow. He bent down and gently kissed Hinata on the forehead as she silently let go of him. Then he rounded on Kiba, his expression going from loving to horrifically mask-like in an instant. "Mind repeating that word, dog-boy?" he said. His voice was soft, but had a hard edge to it that combined with his expression to shut the dog-using boy up. Normally, Naruto would simply roll with an insult, sometimes returning it in kind. However, the use of the 'F' word rubbed him the wrong way like nothing else could. To him, being called a freak implied that he did not have the right to exist. How it was that a single word could inspire such anger in him was a mystery, especially after hearing it for many years.

However, Hinata caught Naruto's wrist. "No," she whispered to him, "It's not worth it. You are you; that's all you need to be. Please calm down, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto relaxed, the voice of his girlfriend extremely soothing for his nerves. No wonder he'd been so anxious to defend her. "Alright," he sighed, "But you'll get your comeuppance, Inuzuka. Don't know how, or when, but your mouth is gonna get you hurt, and not necessarily by me." He stooped and kissed Hinata again, "I need to go find my teammates now. Something tells me they need me right now."

Hinata merely nodded and stepped back. With a thought, Naruto transformed into his Armored form, with Mido padding up to him. Nodding at Team 8 once more, Naruto ran off with a blast of chakra.

Up in the trees, Carlos lowered his binoculars, thinking. _Interesting. This world's Naruto can already match Gaara. True, he caught Gaara unawares with that chakra wave, but his armor's got enough force behind it to break the shield and crack the sand armor._ He closed his eyes, his mind slipping into its mechanical half. _Note 1: Naruto Uzumaki can match Rock Lee in power. Speed unknown. Conclusion 1: Avoid unnecessary conflict with Naruto Uzumaki. Conclusion 2: Avoid confrontation with Sabaku no Gaara; likely unstable after this encounter. Note 2:_ he checked with his binoculars to see if he'd been noticed, _Preliminary chakra suppression seems sufficient to avoid notice and unwanted confrontation. Unknown if I cannot be seen by Byakugan. Note 3: Direct intervention to prevent the death of Hinata Hyuuga unneeded. Moving on._ Silently, the Technology Gorem sprang from his tree-branch, soaring all the way across the clearing to the next branch.

AN: First off, I would like to apologize to all fans of this fic. I know you have been waiting a long time for an update for CoG: NOT, as evidenced by your reviews, but I have been slow in updating. I am a very slow writer at most times; my concentration can be diverted very easily by the internet. However, I have finally managed to complete this chapter. I really hope you like it. On the bright side, I hope that the next chapter will be a little quicker.

Summary notes:

The first bit of this chapter is devoted to Len. I hope this gives you a feel for his personality (confident, cocky, mocking and irritating) and a hint at his abilities (Jiton, Pendolo).

Len makes a lot of references, all of which are real. I felt it appropriate for him to be injured by one.

Fuu makes a cameo appearance in this chapter. She won't reappear until later in the story.

I couldn't think of any names for Fuu's teammates, so I just called them Taki 1 (the guy with the ninjato) and Taki 2 (the Ninjutsu user).

The idea of making Fuu an archer comes from my fellow author Kurogane7. Thank you.

Fuu has an extremely powerful (like Naruto) wind affinity, which is granted by Choumei, the Nanabi.

Len unveils his signature weapon, Pendolo: a pocket-watch that has spinning blades and an extendable chain. In terms of CoG chronology, Len created Pendolo in this story, so you won't see him using it in stories that take place before CoG: NOT.

The way Len uses Jiton was made up by me. Also, using Jiton is merely a fraction of what he can do.

Len's regeneration is the second slowest of the Gormim, owing to the scarcity of metal in nature, so he has to rely on 'quick-healing' pills to regenerate. Even without them, though, he's actually pretty tough.

Naruto uses his new Armor form. I made up the design of the armor, drawing influences from the demigods in Asura's Wrath. The grooves on the outside allow him to channel chakra externally, which allows him to move more freely than he normally would otherwise.

Anko meets Alex and they talk.

Alex explains what the virus is like in more detail. You can tell I'm using artistic license here, right?

Alex is also pretty good at identifying bodies.

Naruto is about as obsessed with Hinata as she's obsessed with him.

The scene with Gaara, one of the big changes to canon in this chapter.

Mido was watching the scenario with Gaara attacking Team 8. That's how Naruto knew what was going on.

I will, of course, explain the whole Kina/Kurama thing later.

Naruto's armor is strong enough to let him land a hit on Gaara. Overpowered? Of course! Still, the fact that he stumbled a bit when he broke the shield means that stronger enemies (hint: Kukuku!) can still outmaneuver him.

Temari finds Naruto attractive. Progress!

I don't know why I like writing emotional scenes between Hinata and Naruto like that. Actually, yes I do. Because it's adorable.

Naruto's dislike of the 'F' word is kinda an influence of my own view. I despise that word with a passion.

Carlos was also watching them. His objectives are a little unclear, but at least one of them was making sure Hinata didn't die, though he wasn't really needed.

And that's it for the notes!

I'm going to put up the harem list again. Why? Because I like to.

So the girls in Naruto's Harem in this fic (plus their Gorem house) are:

Hinata (Blacklight)  
Kina/Kurama (Terme)  
Temari (Baro)  
Fuu (Gloma)  
Choumei (Baro)  
Shukaku (Petra)  
Ino (Magia: Farwalker)  
Hanabi (Nocturne)  
Anko (Blacklight)  
Haku (Ghiaccio)  
Koyuki (Ghiaccio)  
Mei (Souse)  
Yugito (Lampe)  
Matatabi (Terme)  
Samui (Lampe)  
Shion (Magia: Spellwright)  
Amaru (Blacklight)  
Blair (Souse)  
Kin (Din)  
Tayuya (Din)

Alright, that's all for now. If you haven't read my other fics, I recommend that you do so (in a non-threatening manner), although A New Kind of Monster should not be read if you don't want spoilers for CoG: NOT.

Please leave a review when you finish reading this extremely long Authors Note. Bye! North South out.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Might as well get started on this chapter. Dunno when I'll finish it, but hopefully it'll be faster than the last one. Begin.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandom referenced by this story. I do, however, own the Gormim.

"Speech"  
Text  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being-outer being/Alternate thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form**  
**Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 24: White snake vs. Black light

(With Team 7)

Sasuke and Sakura stood side by side. Each of them had a kunai out and were staring warily at the new arrival.

_It's that creepy guy from yesterday,_ thought Sakura, remembering how he'd given that Anko lady her kunai with his tongue, _why's he here all alone?_

To their surprise, he casually held up a white 'Heaven' scroll. "You want this, right?" he asked in a sibilant voice, "This 'Heaven' for your 'Earth?'"

Sasuke spoke up, not relaxing from his stance. "Obviously."

"Kukuku!" laughed the Kusa-nin. To the younger Genin's horror, he opened his mouth wider than a human mouth should open. Wrapping his long tongue grotesquely around the scroll, he swallowed it whole, his throat distending briefly. "...If you want the scroll," he put a hand to his cheek, pulling at one of his eyelids "You'll have to take it from me with everything you have."

Like a coiled snake, his Killing Intent struck them without warning. Both of keeled over backwards, blood spewing from around the kunai lodged in their foreheads...

With a jerk, Sasuke shook himself, and everything snapped back to normal. Both he and Sakura stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. _What Killing Intent!_ He thought with gritted teeth, _Even worse than Zabuza or Naruto!_ He struggled to move, but his body was locked up in terror. _Damn...it!_

The Kusa-nin smiled and pulled out a kunai. "It's no good. Some kinds of snake are able to paralyze their prey with fear." Carelessly, he threw the knife at them, seemingly in slow motion.

_Damn it...Move...Sasuke!_ Sasuke thought to himself, watching the knife fly closer and closer, _MOVE!_ He wrenched his arm down and stabbed himself in the knee. He gasped slightly as the pain overrode his paralysis, then dived out of the way of the kunai. Then he dashed to Sakura, grabbed her, and bounded away into the trees.

The unbelievably androgynous ninja watched them go, intrigued. "Interesting, Sasuke-kun," he murmured, "Using pain to overcome your fear...kukukuku!" he chuckled creepily, "But let's see how much pain you can take."

.

"I think we lost him," hissed Sasuke, sitting on a branch obscured by leaves.

"Are you sure?" whispered Sakura. He gave her a withering look. "...Right, stupid question, sorry."

"Thank you," he muttered, wincing at the pain in his knee.

(Len suddenly looked up and remarked, "At least it wasn't an arrow. Wait, who am I talking to?")

She watched him turn to keep a look out, shivering slightly. _What was that?_ She thought, remembering the sensation of being killed in an instant, _that didn't feel anything like Naruto. Like Naruto's been holding back and this person...isn't._ She looked back at Sasuke and saw an enormous snake descending between them. "Sasuke-kun! Snake!"

Sasuke whirled around, took one look at the serpent, and both Genin sprang away. The snake sped up a nearby trunk and launched itself at Sasuke, jaws open wide. Over its head, Sasuke saw an apparition of that Kusa-nin and felt a wave of fear. "AAAAGH, GET AWAY!" he screamed, hurling shuriken at the snake. The stars struck it easily, shredding its head and knocking it over a branch.

"Kukuku..." With a creepy laugh, the scales on its neck split open, and the Kusa-nin rose out. "You shouldn't let yourselves relax. After all," a maddened look came to his eye, "Prey must always run from predators!" He shot up the tree, his legs coiling grotesquely around its trunk as he reached for Sasuke. However, he suddenly halted as a large black Panther landed on the trunk in front of him. The Kusa-nin froze, inches from the enormous feline, which crouched, growling malevolently. "Oh my," he murmured. Before he could say anything else, the panther made a lightning-fast swipe at his head. Rather than exploding in a cloud of blood and brain, he instead splattered into mud.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Doton Kage Bunshin!" (Earth Release Shadow Clone) he exclaimed.

"Shoulda reckoned he'd be smart," Grumbled a voice. Both Genin looked around to see the familiar orange-clad form of their third teammate.

"Naruto!" For once, Sakura was actually glad to see him.

"'Sup, bubblegum?"

And the moment passed. "Where were you?" She snapped, "We've been running for our lives here!"

"Yeah, I noticed," he grunted, "At least you two had the sense to do that much. Any idea what he wants?"

They shrugged. "Whenever he finds us, he keeps attacking me," Sasuke pointed out, "Maybe he wants my Sharingan."

Naruto frowned. "That sounds pretty likely. We should ask him."

"Kukukuku..."

He shuddered, even as they turned to see the man in question rise out of a tree branch. "Stop laughin' like that, it's fucking creepy."

The Kusa-nin smiled, his tongue snaking out to lick his cheekbone. "Well, well. Uzumaki Naruto, I presume?"

"You presume correctly," Naruto deadpanned back, "Who are you, some kinda gecko-man?" As he spoke, Mido crossed to his side in a single leap, growling.

A look of irritation crossed the man's face. "Hardly. I am known as Orochimaru."

The blond scratched his chin, seemingly unconcerned. "Oh, you mean one of those three ninjas that Hokage-jiji taught? That Orochimaru?"

"What?!" Yelled Sakura, disbelieving.

"Oho...it looks like someone's done like their research," hissed Orochimaru amusedly, "So you obviously know what I'm capable of."

"Eh, not really. I just know you're associated with snakes and can summon them, except for Mido here." Mido obligingly transformed into a large python and coiled protectively around his master.

The snake-like man's eyes widened, a grin crossing his face. "Interesting...a feline creature that can become a serpent, and who knows what else...I'd love to experiment with it." Then he shook his head, "But no, I'm here for Sasuke-kun. So, kindly step aside, Naruto-kun."

There was a silence as Naruto stared up at Orochimaru, his face blank. Sasuke stared at him. _What will he do?_ he wondered, _Does he honestly think he can face down one of the Sannin?_

"Oi, lizard-guy," Naruto began.

Orochimaru's eye twitched.

"That lady from before the exam, Anko... You were her sensei, weren't you?"

The false Kusa-nin certainly wasn't expecting such a question. "Kukuku, you really did your homework, didn't you?" he chuckled.

Naruto shifted slightly, setting one foot forward so his torso was turned. "...and did you, by any chance, put a seal on her shoulder that causes her pain from time to time?"

Orochimaru's expression become one of smug glee. "Oh, so she still has that! And from the sound of it, she still wasn't compatible with it. So sad."

"I see..." Naruto murmured, his hood shadowing his face, "In that case, I ain't movin'. Sakura, Sasuke, get outta here."

"W-what?" asked Sasuke, "You're seriously gonna fight him? You'll die!"

The blond merely shrugged, almost lazily. "Against him? Yeah, I don't stand a chance. I ain't gonna die, though. Hina-chan would cry, and I won't be responsible for that."

"I wouldn't stand around making promises like that if I were you," laughed the disguised nuke-nin. He pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing a snake tattoo, before biting his thumb and swiping the blood down the tattoo. **"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" (Summoning Technique)**

The branch where he stood exploded in a blast of smoke. "Get going!" Naruto barked at his teammates. It took them a moment, but as they heeded his advice and leaped away, Naruto activated his Adrenaline Gaze, baring his sharp teeth in a grin.

The smoke cleared to reveal a snake, one even larger than before, with the disguised Kusa-nin standing on its head. Without warning, it struck. Naruto rolled out of the way, only to grimace as a coil came whipping around to meet him. The flesh of his arms grayed and bulged under his jacket and he punched the snake in the side, causing it to falter. Then, channeling chakra and biomass into his legs, he leaped for the serpent's back and ran to meet the summoner. With his slowed-down vision, he saw Orochimaru turn towards him, the tip of a straight sword emerging from his mouth. The sword shot at him with an impossibly long blade; there wasn't enough time to evade. Without pause Naruto raised his left arm, which instantly elongated and fused, becoming a straight, double-edged blade. He deflected the incoming sword to the side, sparks flying where they clashed. With a burst of chakra he sped forward, hoping to catch Orochimaru off guard.

However, a Sannin like Orochimaru didn't get to where he was with slow reflexes. He sidestepped, fully drawing his sword from his mouth and retracting the blade to its normal length. With a wicked gleam in his eye, he stabbed at Naruto viciously, forcing the blond to jump back.

Glancing down, Naruto noticed he was on the head of the giant snake, which had stopped moving. His arms erupted in black smoke and coalesced into his Hammerfist. Focusing hard, he began to pump as much chakra as he could into his transformed limb, making it glow with an aura of blue light.

_What's this?_ thought Orochimaru. He moved to attack the blond, only to duck under an incoming kunai from Sasuke.

The distraction was enough; Naruto reared up and punched the 'ground' (meaning, the snake's head) as hard as he could. The stored chakra discharged with a flash, blasting down through the serpent's head with a crunch. Fatally injured, the snake vanished with a blast of smoke, causing Naruto to drop from the absent footing. Fortunately, he managed to grab a hold of a nearby tree branch, using chakra to stick. He quickly blasted chakra from his front and side tenketsu and swung himself up onto it.

"I thought I told you I'd handle this," he grumbled as Sasuke landed next to him.

"Right, but we can't pass this test if you get killed," said the Uchiha tightly. He made some more hand seals, "Get ready, he's coming."

Before Naruto could respond, Sasuke shot a Goukakyu into the air at the enemy.

Orochimaru was ready for that. **"Kuchiyose!"** Another snake materialized around him, shielding him from the flames. The moment it died down, a beige blur shot from between the coils, straight at Sasuke.

With his enhanced perception, Naruto was able to spot the incoming attack and grabbed Sasuke by the scruff of his neck, swinging him out of the way. Orochimaru landed on the branch, his sword raised to strike. However, before he could swing, his wrist was seized in a vice grip.

Naruto cocked his Hammerfist. "Grit your teeth, bastard!" He swung the club-like appendage into the snake Sannin's body, crushing his ribs, throat and jaw. But before the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki could even think of celebrating, however, the body melted, revealing it to be another mud clone. "Damn it…" His rear eyes opened just in time to see the pale ninja holding Sasuke, looking as if he were about to bite him on the neck. "No you fucking _don't!"_ He spun, using the chakra jets and weight of his Hammerfist to deliver another crushing blow into Orochimaru's side. Unfortunately, he Kawirimi'd away just in time, leaving a log to take the brunt of the attack. The poor wooden cylinder was sent soaring away with a splintered dent in its surface. Shifting his arm back, Naruto caught Sasuke. "Did he get you?"

"N-no, but he almost did," stammered Sasuke.

"Well, that's something," Naruto muttered. He activated his Armored form for added protection. _Kina-chan, I need some Youki, now!_

Though he couldn't see it, the fox-girl mock-saluted. _Got it!_ Orange-red chakra welled up in the spiral groove on his stomach and spread through the rest of the armor, making it seem like it was charred black and illuminating the Kanji for 'Demon' all over his body.

Naruto looked around, eyes narrowed and red. On a command, Mido landed on the branch next to him; his form began to darken further, black vapor rolling off his body. A long handle protruded from his back, which Naruto grabbed onto and pulled. Mido vanished in a cloud of black, which swirled around Naruto's arm as he swung, finally solidifying into a familiar, large blade.

"Oh my...how did you manage to get your hands on a blade like that?" asked Orochimaru, who melted out of a nearby tree trunk.

The armored Blacklight merely grunted, hefting the massive Kubikiri Bocho onto his shoulder. The sword had changed from when Naruto was first given it by Haku. It's formerly gray blade was now a shiny black, shot through with green. At the base of the handle was a black snake's head with a mane of scales. With his free hand, he beckoned at Orochimaru. _Come and get it._

The snake-like man frowned briefly, but melted back into the trunk.

Sasuke watched with great trepidation. It had been a while since he'd seen the giant blade but he remembered, all the way back to the Wave mission, how Naruto had briefly handled the sword. _And he's only grown stronger since then,_ he thought. He activated his Sharingan and looked around, searching for their enemy. All he could see was a vague concentration of chakra travelling along the branch they were on. "He's right in front of you!" he shouted.

With a howl, Naruto lifted his zanbatou and brought it down with a mighty crash, splintering the wood beneath them. There was nothing there, however. Naruto only had time to narrow his eyes before a blade glanced off his armored neck and he jumped reflexively to another branch as Orochimaru landed lightly where he'd stood. For another moment they regarded each other. The false Kusa-nin looked at ease, his sword held lightly; he was totally assured of his victory. Naruto's green, cross-pupil eyes were narrowed, with Kubikiri Bocho once more positioned on his shoulder. Suddenly he gave a jerk of his head. Strange black tendrils erupted from beneath Orochimaru, tangling his legs and holding him in place.

"What?!" Orochimaru looked down, momentarily surprised, and Naruto leaped. He swung his sword horizontally as he flew, aiming to cleave the bastard in two. Unfortunately, Orochimaru's arms could still move and he blocked the swing, using his other arm to support the blade of his sword.

But almost as soon as his blade hit Orochimaru's, Naruto let go, continuing in a spin until he landed in a crouch right in front of the Sannin. He grabbed the zanbatou in both hands and, still whirling, delivered a horizontal strike to his opponents legs, severing them at the knees and causing him to fall. He glanced at Sasuke and pointed, snarling slightly.

The Uchiha was already making hand signs. **"Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu!"** A roaring fireball shot from his open mouth. Naruto managed to leap high into the air to escape, but Orochimaru was forced to take the full force of the attack at point blank range.

Naruto caught an overhanging branch and hung by one hand, watching the conflagration below him. _I doubt it's over,_ he thought to Kina, _I mean, the Sannin are supposed to be really strong, right?_

She shrugged. _I suppose. I mean, I probably know less than you, but I think your father, mother and Alex were all taught by one of the others._

_I see...Ah! I see movement! Kina-chan, more Youki!_

_Right!_

As the flames dissipated, all that was left in their wake was a charred corpse. Or so it seemed. As Sasuke stopped to draw breath, it twitched, and a pale, slimy hand shot out of its mouth. All those assembled watched in horror and/or disgust as Orochimaru dragged himself out of his own charred corpse.

(Storia paused, momentarily taken aback by the absurdity of his own writings.)

At this point, he had finally discarded his Kusa-nin. His skin was extremely pale, almost white, with prominent purple markings over his gold, slitted eyes. With a snort of contempt, he tossed his dark hair over his shoulder.

As Naruto had both hands occupied (One for hanging from a branch, the other holding Kubikiri Bocho) he could not face-palm, so he settled for rolling his eyes. _...I _really_ hope that the other Sannin aren't like this._ The wood of the tree branch cracked as he dug his fingers into it to create a better handhold. Then he swung the zanbatou above his head, allowing it to bite into the bark above him so he could let go of it. His now-free arm instantly transformed into a Hammerfist, which split open at the end into three parts. A bright orange glow began to emanate from the hollow within it as the grooves on his body pulsed. _**Chakura no Hou: Youdan! (Chakra Cannon: Demon Bullet)**_

Sasuke managed to leap away just in time; a bullet of orange energy crashed down on Orochimaru, obscuring him in a giant explosion of dust and more flames. However, he quickly leaped out the smoke and bounded up a trunk. Following the man with his eyes, Naruto realized it was the trunk of his own tree and took aim again. Twice more the cannon pulsed, firing more bullets to intercept him, but Orochimaru weaved around the tree branch, in and out of sight from the armored Genin. Finally, Naruto aimed directly at the branch in front of him and poured as much youki as he could into the cannon, causing an enormous, solid blast of orange energy, rather than the smaller bullets from before. The segment of branch was vaporized instantly by the blast, which also caused Orochimaru to halt in order to avoid a similar fate.

Naruto's end of the branch dropped, no longer supported by the rest of the tree, twisting and turning in the air. As it fell, Naruto flipped himself over and stuck his feet to the wood with chakra. With a wrench, he tugged the blade of Kubikiri Bocho out of the branch and twirled it in his hand, channeling more youki into the black blade. He waited a moment for the branch to turn the right way, then swung the zanbatou horizontally releasing the stored Bijuu chakra in a wave in Orochimaru's direction. _**Kubikiri Same-hano! (Decapitating Shark Wave)**_

Unfortunately, Orochimaru saw it coming. He leaped off the broken branch after the Jinchuuriki, drawing his Kusanagi and swinging down. The sword met the wave with little resistance, cutting it straight through the middle and causing either end to pass by the Snake Sannin, leaving him unharmed.

Shocked, Naruto's eyes widened, but before he could react, the pale man had landed on the falling branch. There was a blur of steel, the straight sword finding the crook of his elbows, shoulders and ankles, all of which had gaps in the otherwise impenetrable armor. The young Blacklight gasped at the sudden pain and weakness in his limbs. Then the branch finally struck the one below him, sending him stumbling as his footing shattered beneath him and nearly caused him to fall off the tree entirely. Only a massive burst of chakra jets from his front managed to save him as he threw himself backwards, landing hard on his back. His joints all throbbed with pain, but they wouldn't heal. He struggled to rise, red-orange youki circulating through his grooves.

"My, my, you certainly are persistent," mused Orochimaru, walking leisurely over to his downed opponent, "However, there is too much of a pause when you attack physically. Now…this hateful aura…those eyes…ah, I see, you are that Kyuubi boy. Don't bother getting up, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi inflicts wounds that cannot be easily healed, even with your no doubt great regeneration. However, just in case…let's get rid of that troublesome fox. Now, your seal is on your belly, is it not? No, no, don't bother answering." He made a few hand signs and held up his right hand, a purple flame igniting on each fingertip.

Kina flinched. _Naruto! He's trying to cut off your access to my youki!_

_Damn!_ thought Naruto, _I need to get out of here!_ He flared his chakra beneath him and surged up, propelled from behind. But Orochimaru was ready.

"**Gogyō Fuuin!" (Five Elements Seal)** Five pointed, flaming finger tips jabbed directly into his stomach, piercing the spiral groove in the armor in five separate, precise points.

In his head, Naruto heard a nearly inhuman shriek of agony and shock, followed by dead silence. The youki in his armor dissipated immediately, the lack of energy sapping his strength just as quickly. He crashed to the ground, his own body a dead weight. Though he couldn't see it, his eyes shifted from crimson back to green, though the cross-pupils remained. _Kina-chan! What-what did he do? Are you alright?_ Nothing. There was no reply except for horrible absence. Like whatever link he had with Kina could no longer be maintained on both ends. Like Kina-chan was…

Sighing in accomplishment, Orochimaru turned from the seemingly unconscious Jinchuuriki to his teammate. Sasuke was bound by several large snakes, which were threatening to bite him if he attempted to move. "Well, now that that annoyance is out of the way, we can move onto the main attraction. Hold still, Sasuke-kun." He performed several seals, ending on a crossed Tiger seal. His neck extended suddenly and he bared a set of large fangs as his head launched forward, hurtling across the space between them.

To Sasuke, as the man's head approached it seemed to distort, taking on the appearance of a demon. Then he was upon him, and Sasuke felt a sharp pain as the fangs bit into the base of his neck, before retreating. To his surprise, the snakes vanished in a puff of smoke. "What was-" he started to ask. Then a pain like he'd never felt before exploded from his shoulder and spread through his body. He screamed aloud, loud enough for the entire forest to hear and collapsed, clutching at his neck as. Beneath the bleeding puncture wounds, a mark materialized; a trio of tomoe, similar to a Sharingan.

Smirking, Orochimaru turned to a particular patch of leaves. "You, girl. You can come out now."

Sakura crawled out, pale and shaking with terror. "W-what did you do?" she asked in a quavering voice.

"Oh, nothing," he said silkily, "I merely gave Sasuke-kun a gift; one I have no doubt he'll live through. You see, for my plans, I need Sasuke to live and pass this exam. Now, I suggest you-" That was all he managed to say before a long, gray-brown blade stabbed him from behind.

[A few minutes ago]

When Orochimaru had turned away, Naruto had taken a second to dismiss his armor. He tried several more, desperate times to try and speak to the Kyuubi, finally entering his mindscape. When he found the fox-girl, anger arose in him. The cage that held her power had a new set of five thick bars, centered around the normal paper seal. Kina herself lay on the cold stone floor, unnaturally still. As he drew closer, he saw a set of five small thorn-like spikes imbedded in her body. Her left and right wrists were pinned by spikes of water and stone, her ankles by metal and wood. The fifth spike was made of solid flames and stabbed into the back of her neck.

Naruto instantly knelt down and tried to pull them out, only to instinctively recoil as they shocked his fingers. He tried again multiple times, but each time he couldn't help but flinch away at the tiny spark that would nip his flesh. He cursed himself as he stared down at her prone body. Her eyes were closed and her pretty face was contorted in a grimace of pain. Even touching her directly did not help, only drawing a small whimper of pain from her. Finally, he gathered her in his arms and held her close, shaking in fear, frustration and more than a little panic. Only the fact that she was still breathing kept him from completely flying off the handle. Finally, he kissed her on the forehead and set her carefully on the small bed. When he opened his eyes, they shifted instantly to their Adrenaline Gaze form, then changed again. The cross rotated forty-five degrees and split again at the edges, becoming an X within a diamond.

His armored dissipated quickly, leaving him in his normal form, and he sat up, looking around slowly. He saw Sasuke fall to his knees, clutching at his neck and screaming, while Orochimaru's neck returned to its normal length. Naruto stood up, making sure not to make any sudden moves, still keeping his eyes on the one who had apparently crippled his beloved fox-girl (he mentally filed the term 'beloved' under 'Stuff To Think About Later'). Then, when the pale bastard began speaking with Sakura (not that he could really hear what was being said), Naruto's chakra exploded.

An aura of blue flames erupted from the Jinchuuriki, sending him flying forward at such a speed that he was nothing but an azure blur. His hands lengthened and sharpened into blades, just in time to throw a stab at Orochimaru's exposed back. Even as the Snake Sannin jerked forward from the impact, Naruto thrust his other blade into his back and blasted chakra from his legs. Both rocketed into the air, where Naruto's blades reverted back to hands, then to claws. Steel flashed as he hacked and slashed furiously at the man, his claws slicing through flesh and bone easily, the body before him seemingly falling apart in slow motion. Finally, he shifted back to a double Hammerfist and took aim, both arms splitting open. **"Nijuu Chakura no Hou!" (Double Chakra Cannon)** An enormous blast of blue chakra exploded from the mutated limbs, seemingly vaporizing the dismembered Sannin. Finally, Naruto landed on the branch back where he started, with Sakura staring at him in shock. "Ah, sorry, I guess I got carried away," he said with a somewhat insincere laugh, "We should probably get out of here, ne?"

"Look out behind you!" Sakura shouted, finding her voice.

Surprised, Naruto felt something long and slimy wrap around his neck and limbs and lift him into the air. He was turned over to see Orochimaru's pale face glowering at him. "You really are a nuisance," he hissed irritably, though how he could do so while holding someone with his tongue was anyone's guess.

"How…?" growled Naruto. But the sinewy tongue suddenly whipped him around and smashed his head against the ground, dazing him.

"If you thought you could catch me by surprise with such an obvious chakra flare, you obviously have a lot to learn," Orochimaru snapped, "But even now, you still have a large amount of chakra. If I leave you alone, you'll just keep getting back up and trying to fight me. Let's rectify that." He made three more hand seals and held out his index and middle fingers, curved like a snake's fangs. The tip of his tongue tugged up the bottom of Naruto's jacket and shirt, exposing his stomach and the bottom of his chest. **"Ni Kobushi no Fuuin!" (Two-Bar Seal)** Orochimaru's hand struck like a cobra, the fang-like fingers stabbing briefly into either side of the Jinchuuriki's diaphragm, where one of the body's most important Tenketsu was located.

Naruto's body locked up at the new seal. Not only did the blow to his diaphragm knock the breath out of him, but he could already feel the flow of chakra in his system begin to falter and weaken. Whatever it was, this jutsu was blocking Naruto's access to his chakra. He tried to move, but could only manage a twitch before he finally went limp.

"And stay down," muttered the snake-like man. His tongue dropped the now unconscious Genin unceremoniously and he turned back to Sakura, who looked as if she might faint. "Now, where was I? Oh yes…I'd like for Sasuke to be able to pass this test, so I will let you and your teammates go for now."As he spoke, he held up their Earth scroll, which burst into flame before her eyes. "Soon enough, you will be faced by three ninjas from Otogakure. Try to survive the encounter." With that enigmatic request, Orochimaru vanished in a Shunshin.

After he'd gone, Sakura's legs finally gave out and she slumped to the ground, gasping and shivering from terror. She had been no help whatsoever in the encounter, though maybe for the better; someone now had to look after her unconscious teammates.

A sudden scuffle made her jump and look up. The panther Mido, had finally managed to change back into a form that could move and had climbed back up to where his master was. He merely gave Sakura a look as if to say, 'well, here we are,' and padded over to Naruto's body. The construct lay down on his chest, resting its nose on Naruto's forehead. The pink-haired girl actually found it sort of touching, in a way.

There was a sudden pulse from Naruto, not of chakra, but something else. Mido's body once more erupted into the black smoke that indicated shapeshifting before, to Sakura's surprise, standing upright.

The suddenly shadowy creature turned to regard her with bright green eyes before the rest of it solidified. Sakura gasped: standing in Mido's place was a muscular, slightly animalistic boy with spiky black hair. He wore a dark vest and a pair of black gloves, along with a pair of pants that stopped above his ankle. Each of his cheeks bore two whisker marks, a fang poked out of his mouth slightly. Then there were the slight oddities of his body; if one were to actually take a closer look at his hair, they'd see that it wasn't hair at all, it was actually feathers. Not only that, but the bit of ankle that was exposed under the pants was covered in gray scales.

"Oi, quit ogling," he snapped at her irritably. His voice was unmistakably Naruto's, "We should probably get somewhere out of sight."

"N-Naruto?" asked Sakura in astonishment, "What happened? How did you..?"

He shrugged. "I transferred my consciousness to Mido's body, which is compatible with me," he explained, "An' it's a fair bet I'll be stuck like this for a while; that bastard Orochimaru's locked up my chakra and...some other stuff I've got."

"You mean that weird red chakra you were using?" she asked.

"Yeah, that," he grunted bluntly. He glanced down at his normal body, "When we get out of this forest, I've gotta get those seals undone. I'm nowhere near good enough to do it myself...what the hell?" The blond body on the ground briefly erupted into black smoke and re-solidified, taking on the shape of the only mind inhabiting it; namely a certain red-haired, kimono-wearing, busty fox-girl. Kina now lay on the large tree branch, still unconscious, though she was breathing.

Instantly Naruto was at her side, checking for anything he could help her with. Though those spikes from earlier were gone, now he found a bunch of marks seemingly tattooed on her: a ring on each wrist, ankle, and her neck, which each had a line extending from it under her clothes out of sight. "This...has just gotten a bit more complicated," sighed Naruto. He picked up her prone body and slung her over his shoulder, "Come on, let's go. Grab Sasuke, would ya?"

"R-right..." Sakura lifted the Uchiha with great effort, grunting from the weight.

Privately, Naruto felt she could use the workout. He tried addressing this comment to Kina, only to remember with a pang that she was currently slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and unresponsive.

[Some time later]

The members of Team 7 (plus hanger-on) managed to find a large hollow beneath some tree roots for shelter. Sakura quickly lay Sasuke on the ground and got a damp cloth to lay on his forehead. "He's got a fever that won't go down," she said fretfully to Naruto, who was cradling the fox-girl in his arms with an unusually tender expression on his face, "How is she?"

"Well, she's no worse," he said, not bothering to look up, "No better either. As for Sasuke, whatever that bastard did to him is probably affecting his body through his mind, which is why he's unconscious. Whatever that mark is, it's obviously a seal of some kind, but I can't tell you what its purpose is." Then he indicated markings on Kina's limbs. "As for this seal, it's obviously for suppressing chakra. Since it was placed over an even-numbered seal like mine, it interfered with the design and strengthened it in a bad way. Since the original seal was made to suppress Kina-chan here, the new one has done a number on her. Of course, most of what I just said is speculation, but I think it's accurate."

Sakura sweatdropped, but asked, "So, what, you have some sort of kitsune sealed inside you? I didn't even think those existed." _Or that a girl that young could have boobs that big,_ she thought enviously, glancing at the unconscious girl's chest.

Elsewhere, Hinata sneezed.

"Well, I don't think they do, strictly speaking," Naruto corrected her absently, "She's more of a Yoko."

The pinkette froze. There was only one being in the world that was known as a 'Yoko.' She furiously went over everything she'd learned at the academy. The Kyuubi no Yoko had attacked their village around thirteen years ago, and only the Yondaime had been able to kill it at the cost of his own life.

"He didn't kill it." Sakura jumped in shock and looked up at Naruto, who was watching her. "No, I can't read your mind, but you're being pretty obvious. I'll just come out and say it: the Yondaime could not kill the Kyuubi. It's a mass of sentient, infinite demonic chakra, which doesn't exactly have mortality. So, what do you think he could do?"

"...He sealed it?" she asked tentatively.

He smiled sarcastically. "Yep. Guess who he sealed it into."

"You?"

"There you go!" Naruto cheered mockingly, "I, Uzumaki Naruto, have the most hated being in Konoha sealed inside me, which has caused pretty much everyone in said village to hate my guts. By the way, in case you can't tell, the Kina-chan's also female."

Sakura looked down at Kina again. "I...I see," she said uneasily. Then, "Wait, isn't it bad that she's out?" she asked, suddenly frightened.

He rolled his eyes. "She's not out of the seal, she's just taken over my body, which isn't doing her much good. Besides, she wouldn't attack us," he paused for a moment, "Or, at least me. She likes me, but I'm not so sure about you."

"Why not?" asked Sakura.

"You want the full list?" he said automatically. She glowered at him, "What?"

She said nothing, but went back to Sasuke and changed the cloth for a new one. "How can Hinata stand a rude guy like you?" she asked under her breath.

Though she couldn't see it, Naruto glared and flipped her off. At that moment, a strange sensation passed through his head and he jerked, his eyes widening. At the edge of his hearing, like a multitude of voices whispering, the Voice spoke to him for the first time. _Uzumaki Naruto...you are needed elsewhere._

Naruto began shivering violently, disturbed by the compulsion overtaking his body. He tried not to, but without realizing it he'd already lowered Kina to the ground and gotten to his feet. "S-Sakura," he croaked, "I need to...go out for a bit."

"What?" She asked, horrified, "What do you mean you need to leave?"

"I mean that there's apparently something I have to do," he said agitatedly, "And before you say anything, understand that I literally have no choice in this. I'll be back as soon as I can be." He put his hands in a crossed ram seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Three clones sprang into existence. "These three will try to stand guard. Try not to hit them too hard." He stalked out of the hollow and vanished in a Shunshin.

Sakura stared after him in shock. She looked at Kina. "Is he always so impulsive?" she asked disgustedly.

To her surprise, the fox-girl cracked open a scarlet eye and looked at her hazily. "Why you askin' me? He's your teammate," she croaked weakly.

Immediately one of the clones approached, kneeling next to her while the other two went to stand guard. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I'm being crucified," she said, one ear twitching slightly, "I can't move my...well, anything. I feel a big, raw, gaping _hole_," she winced at the attempt to raise her voice, "Where my youki used to be. It's like my body's trying to collapse in on itself!" She started to sound a little hysterical, "I feel like I'm back in Kushina's seal, except worse!"

Sakura turned away, trying not to listen to the Naruto-clone's attempts to calm the distraught demon. She briefly wondered who Kushina was, but decided now would not be a good time to ask.

"Hey," Naruto kissed Kina on the forehead, "You're not gonna die. Once the real me gets back, we'll get to the tower and then out of this forest. The old man's bound to have someone who can get that seal off you. And then you'll be able to..." He frowned. "What do you want to do?" he asked, clueless.

"Come closer," she said quietly.

He leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. His face flushed bright red. "K-Kina!" he yelped, though he tried to keep it quiet, "Th-that's a bit too mature for me!"

She only glowered at him with her one open eye and growled, "Ninja."

Naruto could really have come up with an argument, but honestly, he didn't feel like it.

"N-Naruto?" Her voice was suddenly mortified.

"What's wrong?" he asked instantly.

Now it was Kina's turn to flush. "I...I've never felt this before, but I think...I need to use the bathroom."

Naruto put a hand to his face and groaned weakly.

As the black-haired boy tried to get his tenant to a place where she could relieve herself, a silent figure sat hidden, observing their hiding place. The young man was perched on a tree branch, high off the ground, and had lowered his chakra signature so that the two Blacklights standing guard wouldn't detect him. A hand covered in green tattoos pushed up the bridge of a pair of glasses. _It seems a great many things have changed. My plans will have to be altered a little. Although..._ a single green iris whirred and rotated slightly in thought, _I wonder how the attack will go now with Naruto awake, though the real one has left. What could he have to do at this time?_ Another few degrees of rotation. _Ah. Mitarashi Anko, of course. Another point of interest._ Carlos sighed inaudibly. _Honestly...it's a good thing Len isn't here or this whole situation would probably be FUBAR._ Then he chanced a glance over where the third clone and the Kyuubi had gone and grimaced. _Or maybe it already is._

AN: Meh, I think I'll just end it here. Chapter 24 complete. Sorry if everything seems rushed, but I really wanted to get this done. Also, this story is now at 350 reviews! It's awesome, and I can't believe it's gotten to be this much.

Notes:  
1. I realize that I got the scrolls backwards, yes, but it's a bit too late to change that.  
2. I've also started changing the order of the names. Sorry for the inconsistency, but it was bothering me.  
3. For a while, the chapter adheres to canon a little. Len sees fit to make a comment.  
4. Mido gets a bit of action and knocks Orochimaru's head off. Aw yeah. Unfortunately, it's a mud clone.  
5. Naruto's smart enough to have at least done some reading up on the Sannin.  
6. The reason Naruto decides to fight him is because he remembers that Orochimaru abandoned Anko, and he's seen how she's treated by most of the village. Which is to say, similar to him.  
7. When I say 'Adrenaline Gaze,' I'm referring to his eyes changing. I might not refer to it as such very often, but this is so you know what I mean.  
8. Naruto has a new ability: Blades. Unlike Alex's blade in Prototype, Naruto's blades are lighter, faster, and can be extended and retracted in an instant, which is helpful for surprise attacks.  
9. The Hammerfist is back. Naruto tends to shift only one arm just to be efficient.  
10. You can't expect Orochimaru to just stand still and not Kawirimi out of the way of an attack. He _is_ a Sannin.  
11. He almost gets Sasuke (Sorry if I made him seem useless, but I'm pretty bad at writing multiple fronts of a fight), but Naruto makes him back off.  
12. Naruto's armor becomes stronger when he uses youki to power it. Also, the light makes the armor itself look kinda blackened and scorched.  
13. That's right, Kubikiri Bocho is stored inside of Mido. Bet none of you ever thought of _that_, now did you? There are also some minor changes to its appearance.  
14. Naruto finally manages to land a good hit on Orochimaru and Sasuke lights him up.  
15. Even Storia is weirded out by Orochimaru's Body Shedding. Obviously that was for comedic purposes.  
16. A youki-powered Hammerfist Chakra Cannon? Hells yeah! Also comes in mini-cero form.  
17. In case you can't tell, Naruto thinks his attack names while he's in Armor Form. He can't exactly shout them.  
18. What sort of sword would it be without a beam-wave attack? ;)  
19. Naruto's Armor still has weaknesses at the joints.  
20. Orochimaru applies the Gogyō Fuuin, which knocks out Kina.  
21. Sasuke is marked.  
22. Basically, not only did the Gogyō Fuuin disturb the seal, it also, hurt Kina, since she's still technically affected by it.  
23. Another slight Blacklight weakness: Low tolerance for electricity.  
24. Naruto tries to get revenge using ordinary chakra, only for Orochimaru to lose patience with him and fuck up his chakra network with _another_ seal.  
25. Well, at least Sakura's useless; she's still awake to get them to safety.  
26. When Naruto fell, Mido fell all the way off the tree to the ground. It's also harder for Mido to switch from Sword Form to a Living Form.  
27. Naruto uses another new Blacklight ability to jump into Mido's body. Don't worry, Naruto's new appearance is only temporary.  
28. In the meantime, his real body changes to fit the only remaining mind in it, Kina. Since this is the physical world, the Seal appears differently on her.  
29. Naruto tells Sakura about the Kyuubi. I mean, at this point the fox is already out of the bag so why not?  
30. Since she's been with him his whole life nonstop, Naruto is feeling more than a little panicky about Kina's condition, though he's good at hiding it. A sentiment Kina shares.  
31. The Voice comes to Naruto at an inopportune time and makes him leave, though he does make some clones. By the way, in case you're wondering, Naruto doesn't like making too many clones at a time.  
32. I'll leave you to fill in the blanks about what she requested of him.  
33. Kina's always been in a place where most rules do not apply. Right now, she can't move. Also, she doesn't like Sakura all that much (who can blame her?). Therefore, Naruto is given the job of taking the fox-girl to the bathroom.  
34. Carlos is still watching them. Believe me, he's not supposed to be all that creepy.

...I think I'll skip the Harem List this time, since there are so many Notes. If you still have any questions, leave them in a review or PM, and I will answer quickly. See you next time!

North South out.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Might as well get started on this new chapter. Dunno when I'll finish, or what'll be in here, but here goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandoms referenced here. The only thing I do own is the concept of the Gormim, the UDOM, the Centerplane, and the utilization of said characters in this story.

"Speech"  
Text/Other speech  
_Thoughts  
__Inner-outer being/Alternate thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 25: The Sylph defends, snake venom, The One-eyed Wolf-Dragon, and dropping in

"What the heck...?" Tenten stared at the weapon lying in her path. It was plain pair of kusarigama linked by a chain, except made entirely out of perfectly clear glass. "Wow," she murmured, picking it up carefully. It clinked gently, gleaming in the afternoon sun, "Beautiful..."

"Yosh! What have you found, my youthful comrade?" asked Lee loudly, trotting over to stand by her.

She winced and smacked his head. "Quiet, baka. An enemy might hear us! But anyway, look at this." She showed him the glass weapon. "What do you think about this?"

The boy's enormous eyebrow rose significantly as he gazed at the transparent sickle. "Uoo~...I've never heard of a weapon made of glass before."

"Neither have I," his bun-haired teammate pointed out in a deadpan, "That's why it's weird. Do you see how much detail there is?" she pointed at the handle, which was shaped as if wrapped in bandages, as well as the blade which had a slight line down the middle, "There's no way someone could work glass into such a perfect shape...but why make a weapon out of it?"

"Well, glass can be quite sharp," he pointed out, "Although its fragility would be quite a downside."

Neji saw his two teammates and walked over to them. "What's going on?" he asked. When they showed him the kusarigama, he merely sniffed and activated his Byakugan. "There's a large amount of chakra residing in this weapon. It seems that whoever made it was unsatisfied with their results, meaning they threw it aside." He raised his head and broadened his 'sight,' searching the surrounding area. "Whoever it is has most likely not moved too far. In fact...there." He pointed. "Ground level, that way. Let's go investigate."

"Hai!"

"Yosh!"

(With the glass-maker)

Olivia sighed at the hunk of glass in her hands. "I need a new hobby," she muttered, looking around. The ground was littered with glass weapons, all discarded as unfitting or unwieldy for her to use. "Maybe I should try something a little less exotic," she said to herself. The glass in her hand darkened and became obsidian. Channeling chakra into it, the chunk grew exponentially, but she didn't drop it. The relatively young Gorem sat down on a rock and began kneading the obsidian like clay, twisting and pulling it alternately. A spiraling handle took shape, with a hexagonal pommel. The guard was small and simple, while the blade was long and straight with two edges. She worked the edges with her fingers to make sharp, then worked on making the tip end in an even point. Finally, with an ebon sword in her lap, she pulled out a small metal rod and began scratching the blade with it, making tiny runes along the edges on each side. The runes themselves had no real meaning, but as she scratched them into the glass, Olivia imagined that they would help keep the blade from breaking. Finally, engraving a swirling mark just above the tip, Olivia put the rod away and held the sword with the hilt pointed towards her. She inhaled briefly, then breathed out a light green cloud of vapor. The mist drifted along the length of the blade and sank into the shallow scratches, causing them to flare and glow dimly in the same light green color.

Smiling, she stood up and gave the sword a few swings. It cut through the air easily and smoothly, the runes glowing steadily. "Nice!" she cheered quietly.

A sudden noise made her turn in surprise. To her dismay, three Genin landed a few feet away. "So, you were the one making all these strange weapons," said the Hyuuga at the lead, smirking. He glanced around at all the weapons. "Hmph, quite a selection here. Maybe you should take some as souvenirs, Tenten."

The bun-haired girl beside him scowled. "Don't say it like that; you're making me sound like a child."

"I'd rather you didn't take them," deadpanned Olivia, holding her new sword at the ready, "Do you know how dehydrating it is to create that much glass?" She paused. "Well, it isn't really, but that's beside the point. The point is-"

"Hm...you do not appear to have a scroll," interrupted Lee from beside her; without warning he was beside her and was examining the girl's pockets. Such was his speed that she hadn't even seen him move, "That is most unfortunate."

"Eek!" Olivia leaped away from him, swinging the black blade, "Don't do that!"

The green-clad Genin merely stepped back to avoid the sword. While she was good at making them, Olivia's weapon skills were not as good as she'd like them to be.

"Well, if she doesn't have a scroll, then we should move on," said Tenten.

Neji, however, stepped forward to stare down the white-haired girl. "Not so fast. Those two teammates of yours probably have one of the scrolls. Not only that, but when we saw you at the Academy, you looked to be the weakest. If we get rid of you now, those other two won't be a problem for the Third Exam."

Olivia gulped, suddenly afraid. He was quite right; among the members of her team, she really was the weakest. Thinking furiously, she went over her options. She could try using her sword, but the Hyuuga and the bowl-cut guy could both probably avoid it, leaving her open. Engaging in Taijutsu was practically suicide with her fragile bones. She could try pulling out one of her constructs, but with how close Lee was, she'd never be able to get hand into her pockets and out in time. Suddenly she remembered the weapons lying strewn over the ground. Carefully, trying not show what she was doing with her expression, she concentrated, feeling the glass objects lying around them. It was a good thing they were all weapons.

The members of Team Gai were all surprised when all of the weapons on the ground leaped into the air at them without warning. Tenten threw herself to the ground to avoid them, where they collided with each other and shattered. Neji began spinning and formed a dome of whirling chakra, which deflected the glass weapons. Lee back-flipped away from Olivia to avoid a large hammer and a pair of daggers.

The Gorem grinned and stuffed her hands into her pockets as her opponents were instantly distracted, shrinking her sword at the same time to store it. She pulled out a small statue of a knight, an octopus and a few birds with sharp beaks as the rain of weapons finally stopped and the floor was littered with bits of broken glass.

Neji was scowling and panting slightly. "Hmph. So, I guess you do have some tricks. However, your Fate is not to win this."

She couldn't help but grimace at his condescending tone. She said nothing, however, but tightened her grip on the glass figures in her hands.

"Well, if you have nothing to say, perhaps we should get on with it," said the pale-eyed boy, "Lee, since you're closest, perhaps you should-"

Olivia suddenly flung the objects outwards with a shout.

"What?!"

There was a blast of smoke, obscuring the Konoha-nin's lines of sight. Lee tried to dash in and prevent the girl from escaping, but he was intercepted by an armored fist to the face. He stumbled back, leaving an opening for the Glass Knight to follow up on its assault, knocking Lee back with a barrage of deceptively fast strikes.

Neji, on the other hand, found himself dodging a group of transparent, suckered tentacles that lashed out at him from the octopus. No matter how quickly he moved, the boneless limbs kept twisting after him, hoping to catch and bind him.

Finally, Tenten had no chance to reach for her weapon as she was divebombed by a swarm of tiny birds with long sharp beaks. The flew all around her, scratching with tiny claws and stabbing with beaks. "Ack! Stop, get off me!" she yelped, covering her face with her arm and trying to swipe at them with a hand. However, the hummingbirds were too quick for her.

While the Genin were distracted, Olivia used the opportunity to sneak away.

A moment later, as the tentacles wrapped around his wrist, Neji lost patience. **"Hakkeshou Kaiten!" (Eight Trigrams Palm Heavenly Rotation)** Chakra blasted from his tenketsu and he went into an enhanced spin. Caught off guard, the octopus was pulled off the ground and whirled around and around. It tried to tighten its grip, but the centripetal force was too much, and it flew off. Unfortunately for it, it hit the Glass Knight, shattering itself and severely cracking its ally.

"Yosh! Thank you, Neji!" Lee forward-flipped into an axe-kick, splitting the Knight's helm and causing it to collapse in a heap.

The Hyuuga prodigy didn't bother to answer and turned to his female teammate. **"Hakke: Sanjyūni Shou!"** His hands lashed out so quickly that they were blurred. Each and every hummingbird was struck by an outstretched fingertip, which discharged a long spike of chakra through them, disrupting the energy in them and making them crash to the ground, twitching, before they stilled.

"Thanks," said Tenten grumpily, wincing as she felt the small cuts all over her body, "What was that about her being the weakest, Neji? 'Cause that didn't seem too weak to me!"

"It makes no difference," snapped Neji, "We're no worse off from before."

She merely narrowed her eyes at him as he turned his back and stalked off. "Asshole," she muttered, "And don't you say anything!" she snapped at Lee, "You know it's true, thinking of killing that girl!"

For once, Lee kept his mouth shut, but eventually nodded in followed after their third teammate in stiff, distinctly uncomfortable silence.

In a tree above them, Olivia sighed in relief. _That was close. If any of them thought to look up I'd be screwed._ She glanced at her new sword. _For once, I'm glad for Nord-sensei's 'preparation,'_ she thought. The eccentric Gorem had felt it prudent to teach the young Glass-user how to use a sword. Olivia, at the time, could not for the life of her imagine why he'd do that. But now she was glad for it.

(Elsewhere in the forest, with Anko)

The purple-haired woman landed on a branch and looked around. Her former sensei was nearby, she could feel it. The mark on her shoulder throbbed intensely as her adrenaline began flowing. "Orochimaru!" she yelled into the trees, "I know you're here! Come out so I can kill you, bastard!"

"My word," hissed a sibilant voice from behind her, "Is that any way to greet your old sensei, Anko-chan?"

Anko whirled around to see Orochimaru himself standing casually on the same branch, leaning on the tree-trunk. "When my sensei's a sick monster who used countless innocent people in his experiments, including me, then yes. That's how I'll greet you. Now what the fuck are you doing back in Konoha?"

Orochimaru blinked at the surprisingly articulated insult. "Hm…you've actually matured some over the years. Your dress sense is still as scandalous as ever, though."

_And you wonder why everyone thinks you're gay?_ she thought, sweat-dropping, "Since you seem to be hard of hearing, I'll ask again: why are you in these Exams?"

The Snake Sannin merely smirked at her. "I've already accomplished what I came to this forest for; Uchiha Sasuke now bears one of my gifts."

She flinched and put a hand to her neck. "The Cursed Seal? Are you insane?! It'll kill him!"

"Oh? Don't worry about that; I've been doing research since I gave you yours, Anko-chan," he gloated, "The percentage of people who survive the process has been increased! Besides…Sasuke-kun won't die from it, I can tell." He saw her face twist in a glare of hatred. "Ara? Oh dear, are you jealous about being replaced, Anko-chan? Yes, I do remember that you were always trying _so_ hard to please me, weren't you?"

Rage ignited at his words. "You son of a bitch," Anko said quietly, shaking with suppressed anger, "I looked up to you. You were my role model! I respected you out of everyone in the village! And then you gave me this mark and left me to die with all those others!"

He merely grinned. "I'm so glad that you remember. So, how has that Mark been treating you? That Uzumaki brat mentioned that it pains your from time. Dear dear, Anko-chan, you shouldn't ignore it so much, or it'll grow resentful and eat up your chakra faster. You can feel it, can't you?"

Anko was surprised at the mention of Naruto. The few times they met, they hadn't exactly shared each others painful secrets. That meant he had somehow noticed, and then realized, the fact that the Mark pained her. "Of course I feel it," she snapped at the pale bastard, "Every day it's just another reminder of why you need to go down."

He smirked. "Oh really? And how am I going to 'go down?' You can't even use any big techniques because of the Seal draining your power."

**"Sen-ei Jashu!" (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)** Five snakes erupted from Anko's sleeves and flew at Orocimaru, mouths open. They bit down on various parts of his body, only for him to melt into mud.

"You should have seen that coming," Orochimaru murmured mockingly over her shoulder.

Anko smirked and casually held up an exploding tag. "I did." She slapped the tag on his chest and leaped away.

The Snake Sannin flinched and quickly tore the tag off. Before he could throw it away, it exploded. Fortunately for all involved, it was a relatively low-level explosive. Orochimaru still lost an arm and an eye to the blast, though.

(The Author paused for a second, wondering where he'd seen this situation before, then continued.)

Anko was slammed against the tree-trunk by the shockwave, but was otherwise unharmed. "How's that, bastard?" she asked vindictively.

"I've had worse," he growled. His cheeks bulged for a second before he doubled over and vomited out himself, minus the injuries. The old body dissolved instantly, while the new one straightened up, wiping slime out of his hair absentmindedly.

Anko wrinkled her nose. "Were you always this disgusting?" Without waiting for an answer, she dashed forward. Another snake emerged from her sleeve and bit down on Orochimaru's wrist, while a second appeared and bit her own. She jammed her hand against Orochimaru's forcing the two into a hand-sign. "If I'm gonna die, I'll take you with me! **Ninpou: Sojasousai!" (Ninja Art: Twin Snakes Mutual Death)**

Rather than the look of surprise or fear she was expecting, Orochimaru smiled mockingly. "So, you truly hate me enough to kill yourself along with me? An admirable conviction, but…" he turned brown and melted, "I'm afraid you missed. Not only that, but you must know that that jutsu has consequences for if it fails."

_No…_ Even as Anko tried to turn and spot the real one, her bitten hand grew cold and numb, and fiery, mind-shattering pain erupted from her shoulder. She screamed and collapsed, convulsing and thrashing on the ground.

"Oh dear, that looks like it hurts," said Orochimaru with false concern, "Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery, Anko-chan." He raised a hand. **"Sen-ei Taja-"**

A black spike flew through the air and stabbed the snake man's hand, knocking it away. With a grunt of pain, he whirled round and his eyes widened. "What?! You?"

"Aye. Me," said Naruto. His arm had morphed into a strange, three-barreled spike launcher, "Miss me, teme?"

Orochimaru let out an amusingly feminine shriek of frustration. "How? HOW do you keep coming back to try and stop me?! Even for a Jinchuuriki, you should be dead by now!"

Anko stopped screaming as the pain from her mark suddenly ebbed. It still hurt, but the dull ache felt absolutely blissful after the agony a few seconds ago.

The black-haired Blacklight shrugged, not lowering his arm. "I guess I just hate you that much. Now, are you going to back away from the sexy lady like a good boy, or do I have to turn you into shredded snake-hide?" Chakra glowed deep inside the holes in his arm, ready to fire more biomass spikes.

Orochimaru growled for a second before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He smiled horribly at Naruto. "I'm not sure if you heard, but your team will shortly be attacked by the team from Otogakure. Is it wise to leave your team?"

"I have no choice in this matter," Naruto replied evenly, "Besides, I left some Kage Bunshin with them. Either way, you're done here, aren't you?"

Surprised at the Jinchuuriki's observation skills, the pale man blinked, then smirked. "My word…you continue to surprise me with your intelligence, Naruto-kun. Yes, I have nothing more to do here." He glanced at Anko, who still lay on the ground. "Since I do not believe she can hear us, I'll tell you this to tell her: 'If you try to stop the Chunin Exams, I'll kill everyone in this forest.'"

Naruto's green eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "Get going," he growled.

Orochimaru gave one last predatory smile, then vanished with a Shunshin.

Instantly Naruto jumped to the branch Anko lay on and kneeled by her, lifting her slightly. "Oi, you alright?" he asked urgently.

Her brown eyes opened and she looked up at him hazily. "Naruto-kun? That you?"

"Yeah."

"You look different…"

Shrugging, he said "It's a long story that involves him sealing me twice. How's your Mark?"

She stirred slightly. "It stopped hurting when you came close, but I've been poisoned. One of my snakes bit me for a jutsu, but it failed. Now it's gonna kill me slowly…"

"Like hell," he said firmly, "I ain't gonna let you die like this."

"Why do you care?" asked Anko in a quiet melancholy, "I've done nothing but attack and chase you like all those other idiots."

There was a sigh. "Perhaps it's because you know what it's like to be mistrusted and despised by everyone else. Or it might be because _why_ you chased me, though don't get me wrong, I still hated that. Maybe it's just because I can help, so I will." He pulled off a black glove and flexed his fingers, his nails sharpening instantly. Then he pulled back her coat to expose the mark on her shoulder and touched his thumb, index and middle finger to the Mark there. "Maybe I want to show you sympathy just to spite you."

Anko winced as the nails pierced her flesh, though it wasn't too painful. Then, through the numbness of the poison, she felt a strange, cloudy feeling spread from her shoulder. It felt similar to her Mark's power, but without the dark taint of Orochimaru. This too felt dark, but in a more natural way, like black ink in water. The sensation spread through her, wiping out the cold of the poison and coming to rest in the entirety of her. Thinking back, she remembered Alex telling her that those who carried the special virus could choose to give it to others. _So, I guess I'll be even more similar to this kid,_ she thought.

Naruto slumped, suddenly exhausted. Fighting Orochimaru for two rounds? No problem. Switching into another body and making some Kage Bunshin? Fine. Using chakra to find this place? Okay. Injecting Anko with a virus? Totally draining. _I don't think I'll even be able to get back to the others now,_ he thought tiredly. "Y-you alright now?" he panted.

Blinking, Anko sat up and stretched, reenergized. "Ooh," she groaned, "I feel a lot better. Even better than before, actually. That virus thing you've got is really something!"

"Glad to hear it," he mumbled, sagging oppositely. _Maybe it's because my body is made entirely out of Blacklight, but I feel like a just donated a whole lot of blood._

Fortunately, Anko noticed his suddenly droopy countenance. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"…Weak."

Anko grimaced. "That took a lot out of you, didn't it? Do you need something?"

"For now I just need to get back to my team," Naruto said, barely audible, "Then we can try to get out of this forest and I can get someone to remove the seals on my body. Mido's body just isn't gonna cut it…" His eyes closed and he collapsed.

Anko stood there a moment, thinking. Then she knelt down and picked up the Genin in a fireman's carry. "Normally, proctors can't help the Genin in the Exams," she told him, "But since you just saved my life, I think I'll overlook this." She leaped away, briefly surprising herself with the new strength in her legs. _What the hell? Did that weird virus do this?_ Even as she asked herself that, she didn't think to look at the Mark on her shoulder. The black tomoe had become smudged and faded, dead looking.

(At a slightly earlier time, Mizu no Kuni)

Team Raido exited the town, slightly discouraged. The Konoha-nin had originally been sent on a mission to locate a certain person who... Actually, let me just show you in a flashback.

[Flashback: a week or so ago]

"Do you know why I've called you here, Raido-san?" asked the Hokage.

The Jonin scratched his weal-like scar, bemused. "I'm not sure, Hokage-sama. Is it a mission?"

"Indeed," the aged man agreed, sitting back in his chair, "I'll get to the point: we've heard some rumors that the man who started the Hyōton bloodline is still alive. You've heard about Haku-san, right?"

Raido nodded slowly. "Yeah...but wait, wouldn't this guy be over a hundred years old?"

"That he would be. Nevertheless, there have been both persistant and consistant sightings of the man within Hi no Kuni borders. Haku-san says that when she was young, he saved her from a mob that wanted to kill her for her bloodline. She's the one who provided the description of him. That and..." Sarutobi shivered, "My senseis told me about him, from when they encountered him in the First Great Shinobi War. Their descriptions match what Haku-san described perfectly."

"What do you wish for me to do, Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime drew himself up. "Namiashi Raido, your mission is this: you will lead a standard four-man cell to Mizu no Kuni and locate the man known as Kelvin Ghiaccio. If at all possible, you should try and convince him to return with you to Konoha, but if not, at least ascertain whether or not he is a threat to us. I recommend that you bring Haku-san with you; as one of the last members of his clan, she may be able to sway him. The other two members are for you to decide."

Raido nodded curtly. "Hai, Hokage-sama!" When Sarutobi gestured, the Jonin left quickly.

A few hours later, a team departed from the front gates of Konoha. The members were Namiashi Raido (Jonin), Yuki no Haku (Genin), Kamizuki Izumo (Chunin), and Maruboshi Kensuke (Genin), an elderly, smiling man with tanned skin who carried a pot and ladle around on his back.

[Flashback end]

After taking a day or so to get to Mizu no Kuni, Team Raido had located the nearest town and tried asking questions. Unfortunately, the people weren't too forthcoming with the Konoha-nin. The little bit of information that they offered was of little help to the team; while they did confirm that the person Haku described did indeed exist, no one could (or would) tell them where one could find him.

So they went on the road, where they met a group of travelers. After Kensuke managed to soften them up a bit with his cooking skills, they admitted that Kelvin roamed these parts frequently.

"The bandits are all terrified of him," said one man, "It's a wonder they don't give up their ways altogether. Even so, they know enough not to do anything to provoke him, or he'll kill all of them."

Izumo asked, "What sort of things would that be?"

"Basically anything to do with women and children," spoke up one old woman, "I remember one group tried to kidnap my daughter and myself. They went on and on about what they would do to us when they got back to camp." Her eyes darkened. "They never did. That man, Kelvin Ghiaccio you say, appeared in their midst and cut them all down in a flash. The men didn't bleed either; his sword was so cold it froze their blood inside their bodies. After that, he escorted us to the nearest village." She scratched her chin in memory. "He wasn't too talkative," she noted.

The next day, the Konoha-nin parted ways with the group and kept searching. "I suppose it's a good thing we met them," Raido sighed, "At least we know he's _somewhere_ around here."

"Indeed," said Kensuke, "And he seems to value women and children, or at least deems them worth killing for."

Izumo grimaced. "There's a difference?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Haku remained silent for the most part. She was thinking over what the old woman had said. Kelvin was apparently a force to be reckoned with if provoked. She remembered a house, her former home, pierced through by enormous icicles. In all of the training she'd done for her Kekkei Genkai, she had never been able to reproduce an attack like that. Not that she'd tried all that hard, but at that age, it seemed unlikely that the spikes had been her doing. Plus, she remembered that the man who'd rescued her had carried a sword, which the old woman had mentioned. _Could it be true? Am I really not alone?_ she wondered. True, Naruto-sama had apparently copied her bloodline (though she had yet to see him use it), but the thought that someone, just _one_ person, who was related to her was alive…she wondered if she should really be this hopeful. Would he, perhaps recognize her? _No…why would he? I was just a young girl then, and even now I'm so ordinary. I'm not especially beautiful like Hinata-sama…_

"What do you think, Haku-san?" Haku jumped and looked at the elderly Genin.

"Ah- wha- sorry, what was the question?"

Kensuke merely smiled and said patiently, "Do you think Ghiaccio-san will agree to come back to Konoha with us?"

The girl pursed her lips. "I don't know," she said finally, "My memories of him are vague, but he seemed the type who liked to wander around a lot. Whether he'd even want to come with us…" she shrugged, "I really don't know. But if he did actually come with us, I imagine it would probably be like trying to herd a particularly surly tiger."

Kensuke and Raido both laughed loudly at that, though Izumo's laughter was more nervous.

"From what that woman said, he also seems to be quite fast, strong, or both," she continued, once the laughter died down, "Since I saw him carrying a sword back then, it seems he's had a very long time to practice his Kenjutsu. Not only that, but he's a Hyoton user as well. _The_ Hyoton user, in fact; he's bound to have all sorts of tricks up his sleeve."

"Like that?" asked Izumo, pointing.

Everyone looked at the Chunin, then at where he was pointing. Raido cursed and Kensuke frowned grimly. In the middle of the road lay the body of a man. From the little they could see of him, there was a deep cut along his shoulder and back. The rest of him was frosted over and frozen solid.

"I think we're on the right track," Haku said dryly.

The Thousand Year Genin nodded, now looking around. "Yes, it certainly seems so," he murmured lightly. He squinted into the distance, "Hang on...I think I see someone."

"I see him too," Raido acknowledged.

Approaching them was a man with white hair. Haku's breath caught as she saw him; this was the man they were looking for. He looked almost exactly the same as back then. Pale blue and white clothing, a red-scabbarded sword at his side, and long white hair that obscured his right eye. He gave no reaction to their staring, but continued to pad quietly toward them on straw-sandaled feet. The Konoha-nin tensed as he drew closer, pulling the sword free of his waist as he approached, though he didn't draw it. He stopped at the frozen body and crouched, poking at it with the tip of the scabbard.

"I think he's dead," Haku deadpanned.

Without even looking up, he grunted, "Just checking." His voice was deep with a thick accent. Finally, he drew back and gave the body a sharp rap. With a crunch, the body abruptly collapsed into a pile of red snow, causing everyone else to wince. The man merely grunted again as he stood upright and slid his sword back into his waistband. "You know him?" he asked, indicating the pile of ice that was once a corpse.

"N-No!" stammered Izumo, "We don't know him at all!"

However, Haku stepped forward. "Excuse me," she said, "But are you Kelvin Ghiaccio-san?"

His bright, pale blue eye flicked up to her face for a moment. "Yes."

"As in, the man who founded the Hyōton and the Yuki clan?"

"Yes."

"The man who was called Dragon-Eater?"

"Yes." This time his brow furrowed. "I am not called that now. They call me Akayuki (Red Snow), or Katame no Garōryū (One-Eyed Wolf-Dragon) now. You are Konoha-nin. What do want?"

Raido's eyebrow twitched at the man's odd grammar. "We're looking for you," he said, "We received information in Konoha that the founder of the Hyōton- ie: you -were still alive. Since we already have the last of the Yuki with us, we were hoping you would accompany us back to Konoha."

Kelvin's eye, which was still fixed on Haku, widened. "Haku," he said quietly, "You mean Haku? You are Granddaughter?" he asked her.

Haku blinked, suddenly nervous. "Um, well...yeah-Ah!"

She gave a yelp as Kelvin suddenly threw his arms around her in a very tight embrace. "I'm sorry. Very sorry" he said quietly, "I left you behind. Left you to get taken in by-" here he made some unnatural sound, "-Momochi." He let go of her and stepped back. "I will go to Konoha," Kelvin said to the group, "But not with you. In one month, my village will..." he frowned, as if trying to find the right word, "...arrive? Arrive, for Chunin Exam. I come then."

"What village would that be?" asked Kensuke.

"Ma-Nigakure," the white-haired man said simply.

Haku's eyes widened. Her great (times however many) grandfather was from the same village as Ga? Talk about surprises.

Kelvin seemed to lose interest in the group and walked away. "Go back to Konoha," he said over his shoulder, "Tell your Kage I will come to village in one month." Then, with a slight flicker, he vanished.

(Forest of Death)

"Great, the guy can use Kage Bunshin," muttered Tsuchi Kin as Naruto left, "Now what?" she asked her teammates.

Kinuta Dosu merely looked bored. "Even clones can get tired," he said, "Anyway, it looks like that third one's focused entirely on that..." he raised an eyebrow, then squinted, "Is that a fox-girl?"

Abumi Zaku grinned hungrily. "Really? Dibs, hm."

Kin hid a grimace at her more volatile teammate. _Why on earth did Orochimaru-sama put me on a team with a potential rapist?_ she thought, shuddering. Since entering the forest, Kin had had to constantly keep on her toes while Zaku was around. There was a persistant, unpleasant air around him that made her nervous, not that she'd _ever_ admit to such a thing.

"I say we rush 'em," he said, holding up a hand with a small hole and pipe embedded in it, "Just a few shots from my Zankuha (Decapitating Airwaves) and those clones'll go down easily, hm. That girl looks seriously weak, so I bet even you could take her out, Kin."

Kin's eyebrow twitched. _The fuck is that supposed to mean?_ she thought angrily, but a look from Dosu stilled her tongue.

"On three, then," the bandaged boy muttered, "...Three!"

They charged out of the bushes. Naruto's Kage Bunshin spotted them almost instantly and started to run forward, but Zaku threw out an arm and yelled **"Zankuha!"** Air blasted from the hole in his palm, smashing headlong into the clones and hurling them back into the tree.

They didn't dispel, however, but rebounded off the trunk, got back up and kept running, now looking quite pissed. Zaku faltered for a moment, flustered, then threw up both hands. "Alright then, take this! **Zankukyokuha!" (Extreme Decapitating Airwaves)** One of the clones put on a burst of speed with his chakra and instantly closed the distance between them, knocking Zaku's hands off-course. Cursing, he tried to get a bearing on his opponent, but his attack exploded from his palms, coming nowhere near the Kage Bunshin. The Oto Genin only had time to think, _Oh shit!_ before a fist buried itself in his face. He flew back a few good feet and landed in a heap, dazed.

Dosu, seeing that his teammate was in trouble (again), leaped at the attacking clone and swung his guantleted fist. **"Kyōmeisen!" (Resonating Echo Drill)** the metal guantlet gave a high-pitched screech, but apart from that appeared to do nothing else.

The Naruto-clone jumped out of the way easily, only to suddenly stumble and fall to his knees. "W-what the hell...?" he choked, before suddenly vomiting. The fact he hadn't eaten in a while (or at all, since he was a clone) didn't exactly make it any better.

"Oh, you wanted to know what I just did?" asked Dosu mockingly, "It's simple really. My Melody Arm has the ability to produce high-frequency soundwaves. In fact, they're just the right frequency to damage a person's inner ear, which controls a person's balance. Normally, a Bunshin such as yourself would have dispelled by now, but you're pretty resilient..."

_Dear god, just kill me now,_ thought the clone, _This guy just _had_ to be one of the gloating kinds._ _And where the hell is the other me?_

As if in answer to his question, the second Naruto Bunshin leaped out of nowhere, hoping to get the drop on Dosu. However, the Oto-nin's advanced hearing provided him with enough warning to roll out of the way grab the clone by the back of the head. **"Kyōmeisen!"** The clone let out a gurgle as its brain was scrambled by the soundwaves, blood leaking from his ears and nose. With a puff of smoke, he vanished. "Well, it seems you clones _can_ die after all," said Dosu, "That's good to know."

"...You talk too damn much," deadpanned the first clone, "I mean seriously, I know you're a _sound_ ninja, but I didn't think that meant you'd be such loudmouth. No offense!" he called in Sakura's direction.

"None take- HEY!"

"Bastard," growled Zaku as he walked up to the prostrated clone, "You got some nerve knocking my arms away like that, hm."

The Bunshin groaned. "Oh god, are you going to explain your powers too?"

Zaku's eye twitched and put his hand in Naruto's face. **"Zankuha!"** There was a burst of air and his head exploded. The rest of his body dispersed in a puff of smoke. "Freakin' smartass, hm," he muttered.

There was a yelp from the the tree. The clone guarding Kina fell to the ground with some senbon embedded in his neck and eyes, dispersing. The fox-girl herself struggled to rise, but could scarcely raise her head to glare at Kin, who had grabbed Sakura by the hair and was holding a kunai to her throat.

"Now then," said Dosu, walking over to the tree himself, "Sorry about this, girlie, but we've got orders to kill the Uchiha here."

Zaku smirked, raising a hand to point at Sasuke's unconscious form. "Sayonara, Uchiha! **Kantsu-"** Whatever attack he was going to call out was suddenly interrupted by a pair of combat boots, which landed directly on his shoulders and promptly drove him into the ground.

The other two Oto-nin stared in shock at the boy standing on top of their teammate. He wore a pair of camouflage pants and a dark red vest, and his arms were covered in green tattoos. "Oh, were you about to do something?" he asked mildly, pushing up his glasses, "Sorry. I got tired of waiting for you to stop talking."

"Who are you?" asked Dosu, wracking his brains. How had this guy been able to sneak up on them?

The boy shrugged and pulled out an odd, L-shaped weapon. "My name is Carlos Binarius. Now, are you going to piss off and run back to Orochimaru, or do I have to get physical here?"

AN: AAAND cliffhanger. Once again, I apologize for taking so long to finish this chapter. I can't promise that the next one will be quicker, 'cause my attention span is my own worst enemy, but I can promise to try. So, here's to Chapter 25 (YAY~!)! By the way, for those of you who take notice of such things, people with Japanese names are listed the Japanese way, but people with English names (AKA Gormim) are listed normally.

Alright, SO! Summary notes:

1. Olivia has the ability to mold her glass as if it's clay (in fact, it's even easier for her than that), which allows her to create almost any weapon she can think of. Problem is, she's not exactly skilled with said weapons.  
2. Props to Rizaidym for the suggestion that Olivia use Obsidian to make herself a sword. Obviously, Nord teaching her Kenjutsu beforehand is something that I pulled out of my ass. Live with it.  
3. Olivia's ability to give power to those runes will sorta be explained later. Maybe.  
4. Neji, being an asshole, decides to kill Olivia to make her team fail (logically a smart move, but also a dick one).  
5. Olivia possesses Vitrikinesis, and can animate glass sculptures a la Deidara.  
6. Anko confronts Orochimaru. I hope I did a good job writing their little exchange.  
7. Anko fucks up with her Sojasousai and gets poisoned. Oops.  
8. Naruto arrives with a new multibarrel spike launcher (I swear it'll be used later). Orochimaru is pretty pissed off at Naruto's cockroach-like behavior.  
9. Since Anko is dying from being poisoned, Naruto injects some Blacklight into her to heal her, inadvertantly making her a Blacklight herself. Also, the fact that she was poisoned at the time will play a role in her future abilities.  
10. I know that _someone's_ going to say that Anko could have carried an antidote for the Sojasousai, but here's my reasoning: It's a suicide technique. Why would you want an antidote for something that's _supposed_ to kill you. More to the point, would it exist? ...Blacklight notwithstanding.  
11. Since Naruto's in a Blacklight-based body (Mido's), injecting Anko is seriously draining for him. (Shut it, I don't have to explain myself to you!)  
12. We find out what Haku's been doing for the past week or so. As a side-note, Maruboshi Kensuke is an actual filler character; he's the oldest Genin ever, having served under the Second through Fifth Hokages.  
13. Unlike the typical archetype for Ice characters, Kelvin has a very dangerous temper. However, it's only invoked by the mistreatment of women and children, as well as any mention of rape.  
14. Team Raido comes across the result of one of Kelvin's kills: even if he doesn't cut you to pieces, the cuts themselves eventually freeze you solid.  
15. Kelvin's got a lot of nicknames, like most of the Gormim. Akayuki is one of his favorites.  
16. Yes, Kelvin's grammar could use some work, but I did it on purpose. I blame his thick Russian accent. No offence to any Russians who read this, I just think Russian accents are badass. Coincidentally, he and Vaga are from the same country.  
17. Team Oto tries (and sorta succeeds) to attack Team 7.  
18. Carlos to the rescue! Hopefully in the next chapter I won't half-ass his fighting like I did for the stuff here.

In manga news: 1. HOLY SHIT, NEJI! NO! 2. BOOYEAH, NARUHINA BITCHES! Greatest week of my life. All I need now is for Shiemi and Rin to get together and I'll be set (Haha, that's not happening any time soon.)

As always, if you have a comment or question, please leave a review or send me a PM. Though, if you have a question, _please make sure I can send you a reply!_ Meaning, don't ask questions while reviewing anonymously.

So anyways, Happy belated Birthday, Hinata! (Dec. 27, in case you're wondering). North South out.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Alright, here goes chapter 26. I've been meaning to write this scene for a while, and now I actually can.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandom referenced in this story. I do, however, own the concept of Carlos Binarius and the Gormim.

"Speech"  
/Translation/Alternate language\  
Text  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being/Alternate thoughts_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 26: Climax and Denouement of the day

"Get physical, huh?" asked Dosu skeptically, "Not to ruin your undoubtedly badass boast, but in case you haven't noticed, you're hopelessly outnumbered, stranger."

Carlos' eyebrow twitched with some skepticism of his own. "What, are you saying there more of you hidden in the trees? Don't bullshit me, I know there're only the three of you. Three on one is not outnumbered in my book. Well," he shifted atop the groaning Zaku, "Two to one, really. Oh, and don't think I don't know what that gauntlet does."

Kin's grip on Sakura's hair tightened. "Don't get cocky, you!" she said angrily, pulling the pink-haired girl up higher, "We're the ones with a hostage!"

The green-haired man rolled his eyes. "She's not even on my team, dumbass. She can get herself out of this."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. What did he mean? She remembered that she had one kunai left, but what could she do with it? If she were to try and attack the girl holding her, she'd just die in the attempt! Unless…

Carlos saw a gleam of understanding in the pink-haired girl's eyes and decided that it was time to act. His iris glowed a brighter green, with faint circuit-lines emanating from the pupil, while rotating slowly. "Well, that's enough stalling. Time to move." He raised his weapon, **"Focus!"** and pulled the trigger.

*Bang!*

There was a green flash and a flicker as the chakra bullet struck Dosu's shoulder. Even as the Oto Genin stumbled back with a grunt of pain, Carlos took aim again, recalling in his mind's eye the location of a human's Tenketsu. Several more shots rang out.

Dosu tried to block with his gauntlet, but the second shot to his upper arm rendered his limb unable to move. Then another two shots numbed his right arm, then three in his stomach, and finally four shots to his legs. He fell to his knees, his arms heavy and throbbing like they were on fire. He raised his head, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Carlos's pistol with his uncovered eye. "What…?" he groaned with false bravado, "No more gloating about your skills?"

"Don't be silly," said Carlos coolly, taking aim at the Oto-nin's forehead, "I _so_ dislike banter."

*BANG!*

Dosu was thrown onto his back, unconscious.

While Kin watched in shock as her team leader was systematically knocked the fuck out, Sakura finally made her move. Drawing her last kunai, she placed it behind her head and sliced upward, cutting off the majority of her pink locks. Kin looked down as Sakura dashed away, leaving her hair in her captor's hand. "You little-!"

*Bang-bang-bang!*

Three bullets of green chakra slammed into her chest, shutting down the major Tenketsu that controlled her left lung. Kin's knees buckled and she clutched her chest, suddenly struggling to breathe. Within seconds, she too hit the ground, unconscious.

"Whoa…" muttered Kina, having listened to the whole exchange from where she lay in the tree, "…That was really loud."

Meanwhile, next to her, Sasuke stirred in his sleep, a dark aura beginning to seep out of the mark on his shoulder.

Carlos holstered his gun with a sigh. "That was easier than I expected," he said.

"Th-thank you for helping us," said Sakura gratefully, bowing to him slightly, "If you hadn't come along…"

He merely shrugged. "I was watching the whole thing from the trees. I just waited to see if you would need help. It looked like it, so I did."

Now the pinkette's eye twitched. "You were…spying on us?" she asked dangerously.

"May I remind you I _just_ kicked the asses of two ninjas simultaneously," Carlos pointed out, his own eyes narrowing, "Both of which were giving _you _trouble, I might add."

A sudden groan cut off the young Kunoichi's response. Both looked over to see Zaku staggering to his feet. "Bastard," he growled at Carlos, "Do you think it's funny to use a guy as a mat or something?"

"I assure you my sense of humor doesn't work like that," Carlos deadpanned, "Moreover, if you're up and complaining about it already, you're not really in a position to talk. If you're so strong, you should've sensed me coming. Or maybe not, since I was concealing my signature…"

"Shut up!" snapped Zaku, aiming both of his palms at the green-haired Ma-Ni-nin, "You must be pretty cocky, thinking you can take on the team from Otogakure on your own!"

Carlos actually snorted, cracking his knuckles. "Funny, that sounds like something I should say. I'm all alone right now, and yet _I'm_ the one who just beat the piss out of both of your teammates. What does that say about you, _Oto-nin-san?"_

Zaku's already short fuse burned out at that. "Oh, that is _it!_" He yelled, "Eat this, you smug bastard! **Zankukyokuha!" (Extreme Decapitating Airwaves)**

"**Focus! Reflex UP! IMPULSE!"**

Sakura suddenly found herself being lifted by the front of her shirt, before Carlos suddenly jumped straight into the air. Not even a second later, an _enormous_ blast of air tore through the area where they had just stood. The unconscious bodies of Dosu and Kin were lifted and thrown back into tree-trunks by the force of the wind.

Carlos and Sakura both landed behind Zaku. Sakura landed heavily on her butt as Carlos dropped her. The Binarius's circuit tattoos were blazing green, as were his eyes. Before the Oto-nin could realize what was wrong, Carlos leaped on him. He seized Zaku by the back of his shirt and spun him around. "What the-?!"

Carlos just aimed a punch at his face, which Zaku hastily put up his arms to block. **"Yamazuki!"** The spiky-haired boy gasped in shock and pain as Carlos's other fist smashed into his unprotected stomach. He doubled over, trying not to retch. Meanwhile, Carlos's right arm began to change, parts of it shifting and moving out of the way as more mechanical parts came to the surface, causing the whole forearm to grow to three times its usual size. **"Strong Right!"**

And so it was that Abumi Zaku was beaten by a single punch to the face.

.

With a flick, Carlos's arm returned to normal. "Tch. Again, that was easy," he muttered. Despite his flippant words, his body shook and he was breathing heavily, even as the light of his circuits died down, "Now…let's see which of you fuckers has the scroll. It'd be Dosu, wouldn't it?" But even as he turned to walk towards the out-cold, bandaged Oto-nin, there was a sudden spike of energy, followed by malevolent killing intent. "Oh come on!" He yelled, actually sounding frustrated, "How many more of you do I have to fight?"

Sakura looked around and gasped. Uchiha Sasuke had stood up, wide awake, with a glowing orange flame pattern spreading across his right arm and face. Finally, it stopped and darkened to black. "Just me," he said.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke glanced at his pink-haired teammate and saw how bruised and battered Sakura was.

"Sakura…who did this to you? No, wait, let me guess," his Sharingan eyes swiveled slowly to look at Carlos, "It was this guy, right?"

"Wrong," said Carlos irritably, "I actually helped her by beating up _these_ idiots." He indicated the Oto-nin lying around. "Nice job defending your teammate, by the way. You were a real help, unconscious from a Cursed Seal."

By that time, Kin and Dosu had woken up and heard Carlos's comment. They looked at each other, both thinking, _Orochimaru-sama gave him a Cursed Seal? Why'd he send us to kill him, then?_

Sasuke seemingly ignored Carlos and asked Sakura, "Where's Naruto?"

She shrugged, annoyed, but still a little apprehensive at the dark feeling that the Uchiha was giving off. "I don't know. He said that he had to go somewhere, left some clones, and then got out of here. He even left Kina-san behind."

Sasuke glanced at the fox-girl, who was looking at him in silent, undisguised disgust and fear. "Who? Oh, that freak. Figures a monster like Naruto would keep another monster around him. She's even got a decent body, I'll give her that."

Kina paled slightly and tried to stand, but could only curl up in a ball and glare venomously at him.

*Bang!*

Sasuke instantly tilted his head, avoiding the green chakra bullet by a hair. He turned and glared at the green-haired young man.

"You know, I can live with being ignored," said Carlos calmly, still pointing his gun at the Uchiha, "In fact, it's just another advantage in a fight for me. But I do dislike assholes who think they can just say what they want without others becoming pissed off."

Sasuke smirked, a dark aura flaring up around him. "Oh, you're still here? Good, now I can test this new power." He clenched his fist, "With the gift that he gave me…I can finally avenge my clan!"

Another bullet grazed his shoulder. "Eyes front, Avenger!" barked Carlos. The circuits on his right arm changed, before black armor shimmered into view over it, covering his forearm and gun. Carlos braced the new cannon with his other hand as the barrel glowed with green light.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he dashed forward. A second later, a blast of energy erupted from the arm cannon, as large as Zaku's attack earlier. With his Sharingan, Sasuke had enough warning to leap into the air, where he made a few hand seals. **"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique)** He quickly inhaled and shot a dozen small fireballs at Carlos.

Instantly, Carlos's arm cannon changed, becoming more of a Gatling gun. He raised it, the multiple barrels whirling and opened fire, unleashing a barrage of more green bullets. The fireballs, plus the shuriken hidden inside them, were all knocked out of the air easily. Sasuke's eyes widened as he was pelted by dozens of stinging energy pellets, most of which paralyzed the parts of his body that they hit. Then there was a puff of smoke as he Kawarimi'd.

Carlos blinked as he lost sight of his target briefly. The strong backhand he received a second later, however, told him exactly where his opponent was. However, before he could react, or even raise his reflexes. Sasuke was on top of him, pulling his arms backward viciously while placing a foot on his back. "Not so tough now, are you?" he gloated.

Carlos gritted his teeth in discomfort as he inwardly berated himself.

"You seem proud of these arms of yours," Sasuke continued, seeing the numerous tattoos, "And they also seem to be important in your abilities. Let's get rid of them, shall we?"

"Sasuke-kun, wait! Stop!" yelled Sakura, though her pleas went unheard.

Carlos's green eyes narrowed, and the tattoos on his left shoulder shifted, creating a neat ring where his arm connected to the rest of his body. "You want my arm? Fine. Take it."

With a sudden click, the Binarius's arm popped off. Sasuke was shocked and fell back, his grip on the gun-arm loosening. That was all Carlos needed as he spun on his knees and pointed the gun, now back in its cannon form, directly into the dark-haired boy's face. "…And here's the other one!" he yelled. There was another blast of green light, but this time it was much smaller and more focused. Sasuke was hurled backwards by the force and slammed into a tree. The arm that he'd 'ripped off' had unfortunately taken a good part of the blast itself, and was all but destroyed, mechanical parts and screws falling out of it in the Uchiha's hand.

The Uchiha, however, merely took a second to push himself back up, cracking his neck. "Not bad," he laughed arrogantly, "If I weren't for this power I might even have died."

"Doubtful," Carlos denied easily, his cannon merging back into his arm and leaving him with his pistol, "My chakra is at the right density to cause you pain, stun, or paralyze you, nothing else."

The tomoed red eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that you held back?" growled Sasuke dangerously.

For the first time, Carlos smiled mockingly. "Yeah, I guess so. In hindsight, I guess I should've been a bit serious, or I wouldn't have lost an arm. But oh well, I can just make another."

_What is this guy?_ Sakura wondered, _Sasuke-kun's stronger than ever, but this guy seems to just be toying with him. And those weapons…what are they? They're like Naruto's chakra cannon, except..._

Carlos, in the meantime, had noticed the Killing Intent wafting off of Sasuke. "Well…I guess I should have taken that Curse Mark into account. So I'll compensate for now." He got to his feet, stumbling as he was reminded of the absence of his left arm. **"Recalibrate Balance,"** he murmured, resetting his center of gravity to make up for his altered mass. Then, **"Increase limit to 3%.** Oh, what now?" he asked, annoyed as Sasuke bristled.

"Three percent?" the Uchiha hissed, the repulsive aura doubling in his anger, **"You think an Uchiha like me is worth only going up two lousy percents?!"**

"There's just no pleasing you, is there," Carlos griped, "You're like my da…my sister on her period." He sighed and holstered his gun, then made a knife-hand. "Whatever, I'm just wasting time at this point. Come at me."

Sasuke drew a kunai and sped forward as a blur. Without changing his expression, Carlos's hand came up and deflected Sasuke's attack. Again and again Sasuke slashed and stabbed furiously, only for the green-haired boy's hand to slap his away firmly. Sasuke went in for another overhead stab, which Carlos blocked by grabbing his wrist, only for Sasuke to kick at him with his right leg. He was again blocked, this time by his opponent's own leg. For another moment they struggled, trying to push the other one into making a mistake. Finally, Carlos lifted Sasuke by his wrist, causing him to fall forward into the Binarius' head-butt, which knocked him back on his ass.

"I can keep this up all day," Carlos told him lightly. Then he glanced up and said, "Though now it appears I won't have to."

Mitarashi Anko, with Naruto behind her, landed at the clearing. Naruto took a look around, noting with relief that Kina looked alright, Sakura was slightly bruised and had much shorter hair than he remembered but look okay otherwise, and Sasuke…

What the hell?

"Oi, gaki," said Anko, staring at Sasuke with undisguised loathing, "Where'd you get that mark?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but kept glaring at Carlos.

"Orochimaru gave it to him," said Sakura nervously, "It knocked him out, and then when he woke up, he attacked, uh…"

"Carlos. Carlos Binarius," Carlos said simply, "I helped Haruno-san out by clearing away some Oto-nin that had attacked her and who killed Naruto-san's clones."

Naruto nodded, having noticed when his Bunshin had died.

"That seal's increasing his aggression," Anko said, almost to herself, "We need to get him to the tower, now. Do you have the scrolls?" she asked Naruto.

Sasuke stood up, now scowling at Anko. "I don't need any help," he snapped, the flame-like glowing orange.

"Don't talk that way to a Tokubetsu Jonin, Uchiha-gaki," growled Anko, her eyes glowing gold briefly, **"And stop using that seal!"**

Sasuke suddenly cried out and clutched his shoulder. To Anko's shock, the markings suddenly receded into the original mark on his shoulder. She hadn't actually thought he'd listen to her, though judging by the look of pain on his face, he hadn't. And yet the seal had receded anyway. What was going on?

"I'll be seeing you at the tower," Carlos said tersely to Naruto, "But it's a good I was keeping an eye on your team. I know you said to not go out of our way, but…"

Naruto merely nodded, remembering their agreement from before the Test "How's Kina-chan?" he asked.

Carlos shrugged, grimacing. "Fine, I think. But the Uchiha certainly didn't make any friends with her, nor with me for that matter."

"Is that why you lost your arm?"

His glasses slipped slightly and he deadpanned at Naruto over them. "A shining example of tact, you are."

The currently black-haired Jinchuuriki snorted. "Funny, you don't strike me as caring very much about it."

"No," Carlos agreed, "But what I do care about is why your appearance has changed. Does it have anything to do with Alex Mercer?"

"Not directly," Naruto said evasively, not fooling Carlos for a second.

He merely rolled his eyes, before suddenly blinking and looking over Naruto's shoulder. "Hey, what happened to that Proctor woman's fishnet and coat?"

Naruto would spend a long time afterward face-palming for being dumb enough to look. When he turned back, Carlos had vanished.

Meanwhile the Oto-nin, who had been entirely forgotten at this point, had wisely left their scroll behind and gotten the hell out of there.

"Well, at least there's that we have this," Naruto muttered, tossing the scroll in the air for a second before pocketing it. He created another Bunshin and had it pick up Kina, who buried her red-haired head in the lucky clone's chest and sighed happily. "Oi, Anko-ch-san," Naruto called, not wanting his teammates to know how familiar he was with the Tokubetsu Jonin, "I don't suppose you have a spare Earth scroll, do you?"

"'Course." Anko fished a scroll out of her trench coat and tossed it to him. "Alright little ninjalings, certain things have come up that _weren't_ covered by that waiver you signed," she eyed Sasuke in particular, "So we've gotta get you to the tower, so the Hokage and some specialists can take a look at you. Follow me!" She ran off toward the center of the tower

Seeing the exhausted looks on his teammates faces, Naruto rolled his eyes and created two more Kage Bunshin, which carried them while he ran after the snake woman.

[With Team Gormim]

Somehow, the three Gormim Genin had managed to track each other down, and were now sitting together in a small clearing, explaining what each had done with their time. Len had proudly showed them the scroll he got, and explained that he'd encountered Fuu, the Jinchuuriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi (Seven-Tailed Horned Beetle), who had shot him in the knee with a very powerful arrow. It was one of the few times Carlos had ever had something to laugh about concerning Len.

Olivia told about how Team 9 had found her forging a new sword (which she showed to them, impressing Len with its design), and that she'd managed to hold them off with her glass figurines, so that she could escape.

"Well, that certainly explains why you're always making the damn things," Len muttered. There was a moment of silence, "Speaking of the elephant in the room, Carlos, what the hell happened to your arm?"

Carlos merely glanced at the concave metal socket where his arm used to be. "Uchiha Sasuke with a Cursed Seal happened."

"Hah! What, no Zaku to take the beating this time?"

"No. I beat the shit out of the Oto-team before he woke up. I'll admit…I held back a little too much and had to detach my arm when he pinned me."

"What happened to the arm?" asked Olivia.

The corner of Carlos's mouth twitched. "It couldn't stand up to my arm cannon. Sadly, the Uchiha could." The center of the socket suddenly opened, and a black, stick-like arm extended out, complete with fingers. "Hey, Olivia."

"Yes?"

He held up the stick arm. "Think you can make an arm around this? Preferably out of all silicon?"

"Oh, uh…sure." Olivia scooted over to the outstretched arm and bent over it, her cheeks swelling.

Frowning, Len said, "Wait, are you going to-"

The Glass Gorem spat out an enormous chunk of glass onto the stick, and began to knead it around and into shape.

Len laughed. "That's disgusting," he told them humorously.

They both flipped him off without looking at him, Olivia working on shaping a set of fingers, occasionally checking the size of his normal hand as she worked. When she came to his shoulder, she made sure to stuff some glass in the socket so as to fill it properly. Finally, she sat back, looking pleased with the clear glass arm she'd created. It looked mechanical, with round, flat joints at the elbow and fingers, and black metal 'bones' running through it.

Carlos had to admit he was impressed. She might be inexperienced, but Olivia certainly had a nice eye for aesthetics. "Thanks," he said gratefully, "I really didn't want to go into the Third Exam without both arms." He glanced at his new arm, which stuck out stiffly. **"Recalibrate Balance,"** he muttered, then, **"Enter Root Command: Install new; leftshoulder; wholearm. Run."** The circuits at the edge of his shoulder glowed brightly, then extended onto the arm. Sparks flew and there was a high pitched screech as the circuits slowly carved themselves into the silicon glass arm. Carlos's face contorted in concentration as his mechanical self integrated the new addition to his organic self. Finally, the shimmering green lines reached his wrist and stopped, before a new design appeared. On the back of his hand was a wide green circle, with a small dot in the center. Four lines extended from the top of the circle down to just before the second knuckle of each finger, ending in a slightly larger dot. Meanwhile, five lines extended from the heel of his hand, across his palm to his finger and thumb tips.

The new circuits shimmered as Carlos rolled the suddenly flexible arm and wrist. "Installation successful," he said absently.

Len whistled, which made Carlos look sharply at him. "That was pretty cool," he said, a little defensively.

The Binarius merely rolled his eyes and went back to examining his transparent hand, flexing and twisting it to see the markings on the back, before pulling a Granny Smith apple out of a storage scroll and taking bite out of it. "Let's get to the tower, shall we?"

"Yeah."

"Alright!"

[With Team 7]

(Later)

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, plus Anko and Kina, reached the tower just as the sun was setting. The door was locked, with indentations for each scroll acting as the scroll. _So that's why we need both before entering,_ thought Sakura.

The quickly entered, whereupon Anko indicated that they should open the scrolls. The interiors, when crossed, formed a summoning seal and with a blast of smoke Umino Iruka appeared. He opened his mouth to congratulate them on passing, but paused in surprise, seeing Naruto's new look and the fox-girl being carried by his clone.

Before he could say anything, Anko cut across him, saying, "Look Bottle-nose, we need to see the Hokage ASAP, something real bad's happened. If you could go get him _now,_ that's be real helpful."

"B-but what should I tell him?" Iruka sputtered, bewildered.

"Orochimaru is back," she said, not a hint of a joke in her brown eyes.

The Chunin's eyes widened and he vanished in a Shunshin.

Fifteen minutes later, the Hokage and several of his ANBU arrived with Shunshins of their own, looking equally serious. "Come with me," he said.

Yet another five minutes later, they were in his office, sitting down. Naruto had Kina in his lap, the red-head squirming slightly as she tried to get comfortable.

"What happened?" Sarutobi asked without preamble.

Naruto shrugged. "Orochimaru attacked our team, disguised as a Kusa-nin. No idea how he got in the forest, but he seemed particularly fixated on Sasuke. We exchanged some words, then fought."

There was a fit of coughing as the Sandaime inhaled his pipe tobacco. "You what?!" he gasped, "Naruto-kun, he's one of my students! Even _I_ would have trouble fighting him!"

"I said I fought him," Naruto grunted, annoyed, "I didn't say I managed to hit him. After I brained his giant snake, he stuck to using Kawarimi and Doton Kage Bunshin. Although, at one point Sasuke and I managed to nail him with a lucky shot, but then he just…shed his skin and was fine. Then he got me with a…I think he called it a Gogyō Fūin, which sealed off Kina-chan's chakra-"

"_Whose_ chakra?" asked Sarutobi, getting more confused by the second.

"That's me," said Kina, who was now lying sideways across Naruto's legs, "Seriously Jii-san, try to keep up."

Silence. Then, "Naruto-kun?" asked Sarutobi calmly.

"Hai, Jiji?"

"Why is the Kyuubi a: outside the seal and b: a girl?"

Naruto's currently green eyes narrowed slightly, but he merely said, "The new seal has severed her connection with her youki, so she's powerless right now. The seal's representation in my mindscape is much more brutal than out here." He held up one of her limp hands, indicating the black mark encircling her wrist. "Anyway, when I learned what had happened, I…well, I lost my temper and charged Orochimaru, who had bitten Sasuke, I think." He looked at his teammates, who nodded in confirmation, though Sasuke seemed more confused as to what was going on. "Yeah, so I sliced the bastard to bits and the blasted the remains with my chakra cannon, only for it to have been another clone. I guess my refusal to stop attacking him finally pissed him off enough, so he slammed _another_ seal on me, which pretty much sealed off my chakra flow. That pretty much knocked me out, until I figured out I could transfer my consciousness into Mido. After that, I was forced by…something, that told me that I was needed elsewhere. So I left, and found Orochimaru attacking Anko-san. I think my interruption counted as a major turn-off for his sadistic tendencies, so he left." He looked around at the stunned faces of the others in the room, plus Anko's blushing face, and said, "…That's all from my side. Sakura, do you have anything to add?"

The pink-haired girl jumped and said hesitantly, "W-well, after he- Orochimaru –was done biting Sasuke-kun and defeating Naruto-"

"Oi."

"-He burned our scroll and told me to get my teammates to safety, and also to expect a 'visit' by the ninjas from Otogakure. He said that he wanted Sasuke-kun to pass the Exam."

Sarutobi sat back, puffing on his pipe absently. "And did they attack?"

She nodded. "Hai. Not long after Naruto left, they attacked where we were camped. Naruto left some of his Kage Bunshin as guards, but they were defeated easily. But then one of those Ma-Ni ninjas, Carlos Binarius, stopped them. Apparently, he was watching us himself and decided to intervene."

"That was my doing," Naruto admitted suddenly, "The day before the exam started, that offered spoke to me and offered assistance if we should need it."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?" he asked. It stung to think that his teammate had accepted help from another team. _No Uchiha should take help from some foreigners._

"I told them I couldn't speak for my teammates, but that I wasn't opposed to their help, though they shouldn't go out of their way," Naruto said simply, though the look he gave Sasuke said 'watch your tone, asshole.'

"Um, anyway," Sakura continued, "After that, Sasuke-kun woke up, but he was…different. He had all these weird markings all over his body and he was acting more…um…"

"Like a complete bastard," Kina supplied flatly, "He called me a freak and a monster, then picked a fight with the green-haired guy and got his ass handed to him on a fucking platter."

_Well, he's not wrong on the monster bit,_ thought a majority of the room, but with the sudden, quiet blast of Killing Intent stifled any thought of saying such out loud.

Naruto turned his cross-shaped pupils towards the Uchiha, his jaw clenched. "Is that so?" he asked dangerously.

"Cool your head, Naruto!" Sarutobi said sharply, "What's done is done, and no lasting harm was dealt, besides that Curse Mark. Jiraiya?"

"Yeah, I heard everything." The window behind the Hokage's desk slid opened and a man climbed into the office. He wore a pair of red geta and a red vest, with a pair of bracers on his arms. Underneath he wore an olive green short kimono with a matching pair of pants. His hair was white and spiky and hung down to mid-back. On his forehead was an odd Hitai-ate, with a small pair of horns poking out and the Kanji for Oil inscribed on it. "We better take care of all those seals as quickly as possible," he said seriously.

"This is Jiraiya, another of my students and one of the Densetsu no Sannin, like Orochimaru," Sarutobi explained, "He's also one of Konoha's greatest Fūinjutsu Masters."

"Let's get to work, shall we?" asked Jiraiya rhetorically. He quickly created a Kage Bunshin, "Alright, Uchiha, you go with this guy. He'll take care of that evil hickey on your neck."

Sasuke bristled, but let himself be led away by the clone.

"You, Pinky, you can go back to the tower. Your teammates will join you soon, hopefully."

Anko grabbed Sakura and Shunshined her away. Meanwhile, the Hokage gestured at his ANBU to seal the room and leave, which they did.

Once he, Sarutobi and Naruto were alone in the room, Jiraiya relaxed slightly. "Alright…so, she's the one with the seals, right?" He indicated the red-haired girl with fox-ears sitting/lying on Naruto's lap.

"Yeah," grunted Naruto, standing up and carrying her, "She's temporarily possessing my real body. Because of the Gogyō Fūin, she can't do anything."

"Well, let's see about fixing that, then," Jiraiya said cheerfully. He sat down on the floor and indicated to Naruto that he lay Kina down. Said girl squirmed slightly as she was let go, eyeing Jiraiya apprehensively. "I'll admit, I never thought I'd get to see the Kyuubi no Yoko as such a cutie," he said grinning at her.

Kina looked at Naruto, who cleared his throat and said, "So, what now?"

"We take a look at the seals," the white-haired man said simply, reaching for the front of her kimono, "They're on your stomach, yeah?"

Naruto's eyes bulged as the fox-girl's top slid open, giving him an incredible view of her pale, creamy skin and her round, firm breasts, topped by dark nipples.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, merely frowned at the marks below Kina's chest. On her stomach was, of course, the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, but with a new addition: Five flame-like marks, each with a line extending away from it. Two of them went down, presumably across her legs to her ankles, two went up her sides and down her arms to her wrist, and one that went straight up, making Naruto blush as it crossed through the valley of her breasts and ended at her neck.

"I see," Jiraiya muttered, "Since she's the one being affected directly, the representation of the seal is larger than it would normally appear…Still, this should be easy enough to get rid of." He made a claw with his right hand. **"Gōgyo Fūin Kai!" (Five Elements Seal Release)** He stabbed his fingers into her belly with a burst of chakra.

"Ouch!" yelped Kina, her body tensing curling up and curling up instantly as the markings on her limbs vanished. She rolled onto her front and glared up at Jiraiya, "That hurt!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and patted her on the head. "Chin up, girly, I have to do the other one."

The fox-girl looked over at Naruto, who was still blushing, a pleading look in her eyes and her ears lying flat. "I kinda need chakra as much as you do to live," Naruto reminded her.

Pouting, Kina grudgingly rolled onto her back again, and Naruto had to press his hand to his nose and look away as the motion prompted a slight bounce from her chest.

"Damn, you're one lucky brat," Jiraiya chuckled, even as he leaned closer and examined the smaller seal on her sternum, "…This looks like a Ni Kobushi no Fūin to me, applied to one of the most important Tenketsu for chakra circulation."

"Well, that's certainly what it felt like when he hit me with it," Naruto deadpanned, "Like I was fucking dying. Now stop exposing my tenant for all to see and do your fucking job."

"What's the magic word?" asked Jiraiya mockingly.

"Or else!"

Sarutobi laughed, while his student winced. "Yeah, I guess I walked into that one. Okay, let's see here...when he applied it, did he do it one at a time, or both points simultaneously?"

"Both."

Jiraiya nodded and held out two fingers. **"Fūin Kai!" (Seal Release)** Kina let out another yelp and a cough as the white-haired man jabbed her in the diaphragm. "There, all done," he said, and the fox-girl instantly sprang up and jumped into Naruto's arms, wrapping both arms and legs around him.

"There, there, it's alright," the Jinchuuriki said soothingly, rubbing her on the back as she shivered in his lap. Surreptitiously he pulled the front of her kimono closed.

The white-haired man chuckled at the couple. "Geez, you'd think a kitsune would be less shy about her body."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, even as Kina murmured something into his shoulder. "I think it was more the fact that you were repeatedly poking her," he pointed out flatly. He gently pushed her off of him onto her feet, "Kina-chan, can I have my body back now?"

"…Okay," she said meekly.

Even as Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at how quickly she'd submitted to him, there was a pulse between her and Naruto. Both their forms became obscured by black smoke; Naruto's collapsed and shrank while Kina's grew taller. Within seconds, the fox-girl was replaced with an orange-clothed, blond boy and the black-haired boy had become a black cat, which coughed up a black ball and shook itself.

Jiraiya's eyes widened and he backed away in shock. "…Minato…" he whispered.

He winced at his mistake and looked at Sarutobi, who merely shook his head and said, "I've already told him about his parents, Jiraiya. I didn't tell him about you, though."

"What about him?" asked Naruto, his mismatched eyes narrowing at the white-haired man.

Jiraiya squirmed nervously under the scrutiny. "Well…I taught both of your parents," he began, "And they chose to name you after the main character of my first book, which…sorta makes me your godfather."

The blond scratched his cheek in thought. "…Doesn't that mean you would have raised me if my parents died?"

"Y-yeah."

Naruto's expression didn't change, but his blue and brown eyes found the Sannin's own and bored into them, making him unable to look away. "But you never showed up. Why?"

The Toad Sage winced again and looked down at his hands. "I…I would say that I had to maintain my spy network, but…that's really no excuse. I was afraid of being a parent, having never done it before, and I was afraid I might make a total mess of things. Not only that, but…Minato was like a son to me and Kushina was, well, not a daughter but still pretty close. I…at the time...having just lost them, I couldn't bear to get close to so big a reminder of them-"

"Stop." Jiraiya looked up at Naruto, who was looking away from him, his expression…aggrieved? "You don't have to convince me of anything. I don't blame you for the life I've had."

"Y-you don't?!" asked Jiraiya incredulously.

"No. The only thing I can blame you for is the life I _could_ have had. If anyone's truly responsible for the life I've lived, only three stand out in my mind." He put a hand on his stomach. "The villagers despise me because of Kina-chan, after all the damage and death she caused on the night of my birth. When I grew up, hardly anyone would come near me, for fear of…something. Still, I don't hate Kina-chan for what she did." Naruto looked out the window at the Hokage Monument, "The second person to blame for my life would be my father, the Yondaime Hokage. It's because of his sealing the Kyuubi in me that I've been shunned for almost my whole life. But I don't hate him for that. He had no choice but to do what he did, as was his duty as Hokage. Finally…there's the unknown man who made the Kyuubi attack. _He_ is the one who's truly to blame. Because of him, Kina was ripped out of my mother, which all but killed her outright, forced to attack the village, and then sealed into me, which cost my father his life. If there's someone who deserves my hate, that man is it." Silence reigned as Naruto finally wound down. "So basically, on the 'hate list,' you're pretty far down," he told Jiraiya, who face-faulted.

The Hokage sighed. "Well, if that's all, you should return to the Tower, Naruto-kun." He tapped a seal under his desk, unsealing the room and allowing the ANBU to reenter. "UMA, please take Naruto back to the tower in Training Ground 44."

"See ya Jiji, Ero-sennin," Naruto said, waving, before the masked ninja put his hand on his shoulder and Shunshined them away.

"E-Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya asked indignantly, glaring at where the boy had just been standing.

There was a laugh from the corner. "Well, he has been reading your books. That and I told him your habits…sensei."

The white-haired man jumped, while Sarutobi's eyebrow twitched. "Alex, what did I say about spying on my office?"

Alex merely shrugged as he shimmered into view. "Dunno, I must not have been listening."

"A-A-Alex?" stammered Jiraiya, paling, "I'd heard you came back, but…"

"I never left, really," sighed the elder Blacklight, "It's a long story, sensei…"

(Back in the tower)

Naruto flopped onto his bed with a groan. As Team 7 had miraculously gotten to the tower on the first day, they basically had the run of the place. Almost all of the bedrooms were unoccupied, and Naruto had picked one that was a good distance from his teammates' rooms. Sasuke's hand kept jumping to his shoulder, where the Curse Mark had been blocked by one of Jiraiya's own seals, while Sakura kept looking worriedly at either one of . The only other teams in the tower were the Suna team (who had apparently gotten there long before Team 7), and the Gormim team, who had arrived a little after Naruto's team. Carlos's new glass arm had caused some wide eyes, but the green-haired Gorem only flipped them off noncommittally. The really, _really_ tall one, Len, seemed to be limping slightly, but only if you looked closely. The girl who seemed to have stolen Jiraiya's hair, on the other hand, hardly had a scratch on her.

Stretching for a moment, Naruto rolled onto his side. _God…this's been one hell of a day…_ he thought exhaustedly, _ and there's still one exam left…_

There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" he called.

"…Hinata," said a quiet voice.

Naruto smiled and sat up. "Come in!" The door creaked open and the pale-eyed girl sidled in. Her boyfriend frowned at her appearance. She looked a real mess; her hair and clothing had dirt and twigs in them, and her face looked rather grimy, her pale lavender eyes emotionally drained. "You look gorgeous as always," Naruto said cheerfully, standing up and leading her over to the bed. When she sat down silently, his face became serious. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your day was just as bad as mine was."

She nodded, not looking him in the eye as he sat down next to her. "I…don't really feel like talking about it," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

"Fair enough," he said gently, putting an arm around her shoulders, "Since we've both had an extremely long day, how about we get some sleep. Eh?" The moment he said 'sleep,' his girlfriend slumped against him, her face buried in his chest. "Hah…" he sighed, "I take it back. Your day must've been worse than mine."

Slowly, trying not to wake her, he lay them both down on the mattress, reorienting himself so they were completely on the bed. With the blue-haired girl sound asleep on top of him, Naruto stared up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take him too.

AN: I know that feeling. Especially when I stay up till, like, 2 in the morning. Which is pretty often, nowadays. But at long last, I've finished chapter 26. I hope you enjoy it, even though not a lot happens.

Summary notes:  
1. Carlos faces off with Dosu. Normally he dislikes bantering with an opponent, but in this case he's buying time for Sakura to get her act together.  
2. Since there are no guns in the Naruto-verse, Carlos's choice of weapon can catch the enemy off-guard.  
3. Just so you know, I am not an expert in guns by any means. All I know is very basic stuff. For Carlos's pistol, just imagine Death the Kid's gun, except fully black it fires green bullets.  
4. As he mentioned, Carlos shoots chakra bullets. At the moment, they only cause pain, paralyze or stun the opponent.  
5. Carlos, as a Binarius, has the ability to raise his body's capabilities using triggering commands. 'Focus' allows him to speed up his perception and has multiple levels. 'Reflex up' is just what sounds like. 'Impulse' causes whatever body part he's focusing on to experience a brief burst of increased power, while also causing it to move almost uncontrollably. In this case, he used it on his legs to jump over Zaku's attack.  
6. Yamazuki is taken from HSD Kenichi. It's a karate technique in which the user punches both the opponent's face and stomach, the theory being that the enemy will instinctively only block their face.  
7. Whenever Carlos uses certain abilities/weapons/armors, his circuit lines change paths. He can transform his limbs into various weapon shapes. In this case, a giant fist that allows him to imitate Franky from One piece  
8. Sasuke wakes up and starts talking shit about Kina, annoying Carlos in the process.  
9. Carlos uses a special arm cannon, using his arm and gun as a 'frame' for it. It can also become a Gatling gun.  
10. His limbs can also be detached.  
11. Anko and Naruto return. Anko sees Sasuke under the effects of the Curse Seal and gets pissed. Not only that, but now she seems to have some influence over the Mark.  
12. Because of the emergency, Anko gets them to the tower with a spare scroll.  
13. Olivia makes Carlos a new arm out of glass. It won't be there forever, but he'll have it for now.  
14. Team 7 gets taken to the Hokage to tell him what happened with Orochimaru.  
15. Jiraiya comes in, takes Sasuke away, and gets rid of the seals on Naruto/Kina.  
16. I imagine that when it comes to seals, Jiraiya can put aside his perversion to take things seriously. Although I bet some part of his brain was taking notes when Kina basically had to get topless. I know I would.  
17. Just in case I haven't made this clear, I don't like making Naruto hate Jiraiya. That's one cliché I won't be using in my works. In my mind, and in this fic, Naruto is mature enough to acknowledge that yes, Jiraiya not taking care of him was bad, but it's in the past, and therefore not worth obsessing over.  
18. Hinata has not been having a good time in the Forest of Death. I'm not sure whether I'll actually show what happened, make a separate one-shot for it, or just have her talk about it. For now, let's just say it involved the Kumo-nin, Samui in particular.  
19. Cuddles all around!

Ugh, now I'm _really_ done. The harem has not changed since last time, and probably won't either. Next chapter will probably be the start of the Prelims, with a few things beforehand.

So, if you still have any questions, please leave a review or PM. However, if you leave a review, make sure I can send a reply to it.

North South out.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Well, might as well get started on this chapter. It'll start out with some fluff of a sort, then we can move on to the prelims at long last.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandom referenced in this story. I do, however, own the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"  
Text  
_Thoughts_  
_Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 27: Random acts of kindness between strangers, believe in the me who believes in you, and the Third Test begins.

Naruto opened his eyes. Once again there had been no transition between sleeping and waking. As far as he could remember, there had been no dreams, though he couldn't remember sleeping at all. The only way he could tell was because Mido had told him that it was indeed the next day.

Hinata was gone. He sat up and looked around, trying to glean some clue as to where she'd gone. Then he heard the shower running and grinned. It seemed Hinata had realized just how dirty she was from the forest. He lay back down; he was in no hurry to do anything yet. After the hellish experiences of the previous day, it would be nice to relax for a while…

"Eep!"

He reopened one eye and glanced over. His girlfriend, it seemed, had finished her shower and come out. She seemed to have neglected to bring a change of clothes with her, so all she wore was a towel wrapped around her body, which she hugged to herself even more tightly.

Naruto smirked. "Well, now I know I'm awake. If I were dreaming, there wouldn't be a towel." Hinata let out another squeak and blushed brightly. He merely laughed and turned over, giving her the privacy she wanted. While he listened to her get dressed (which wasn't as exciting as it sounds), he continued, "Mind you, if it were a nightmare, there would only be the towel and no you."

"Very funny," she said quietly.

He frowned slightly at her subdued tone. "Sorry."

"N-no, it's fine. I don't really…" Hinata trailed off with a sigh.

"You dressed?"

"Mm."

Naruto rolled over and off the bed onto his feet. He put his arms around her and squeezed reassuringly, noticing that she flinched slightly and looked away from him. "What's the matter?" he asked gently, "I know I said you didn't want to talk about it, but if it'll help to get it off your chest…"

For a long while, the pale-eyed girl remained silent, but leaned into her loved one's embrace. Finally, she asked in a tiny, quavering voice, "Naruto-kun…have I really gotten stronger?"

Of all the things she could have said or asked, Naruto was not quite expecting that. He blinked. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he admitted carefully.

"It's just," unbidden, her hands came up and she started poking her fingertips together. This worried Naruto; she hadn't done that for a while, "I thought that all the training I've done since becoming a Shinobi would have made me stronger, but…since we entered this forest, I've just been a burden to everyone. When those Suna-nin attacked us, all I could do was dodge, but I still got caught and you still had to save me. And then," her breath hitched, "We…we ran into th-them!"

(Flashback- the previous day)

Hinata stopped dead in her tracks. She had been at the front of her team, leading them towards a team she'd spotted with her Byakugan in the hope of getting the proper scroll. However, even as Kiba and Shino stopped on either side of her, she felt the blood drain out of her face. Before them stood the team from Kumogakure. The Hyuuga began to shiver as she stared at them. She couldn't move.

"Huh?" The dark, red-haired girl of the team looked over and saw them, "Oi! Konoha-nin approaching!" she barked at her teammates, who were not paying attention.

The only boy, who was also dark-skinned with pale-blond hair and a lollipop in his mouth, whipped around. "Oh damn!" he said, "They could've snuck up on us. If you hadn't seen them, they could have slit our throats, and then taken our scroll."

_This guy…is kinda annoying,_ thought Kiba, rather hypocritically.

The redhead smacked him across the back of the head. "Can it, Omoi, I did see them! Hey, wait," she squinted at Hinata, who paled even more and shrunk in on herself, "Those eyes…they have a Hyuuga!"

Their third member, a blond young woman with icy blue eyes and a sizable bust, spoke up. "I recognize her from the First Test. She nearly dropped out at the last question, but that boy stopped her."

"Oh yeah," murmured the other girl muttered, "I thought Hyuuga were supposed to never back down from things like that." Hinata flinched, remaining silent. "Oi, Hyuuga!" A twitch. "What's wrong? Too scared to do anything without your boyfriend?"

To Hinata's shame she felt tears well up in her eyes. She opened her mouth to try and reply, but had to clap her hands over it so they wouldn't see her lip trembling.

Omoi noticed, however. "I think you're making her cry, Karui."

Karui scoffed slightly. "Yeah right. A Kunoichi wouldn't cry from something like that!"

The Hyuuga in question took a step back as a choked, mortified sob tore itself from her throat. However, Shino stepped in front, blocking her from view. "Perhaps we should merely get this over with," he said simply, "Why? Because we have only scroll. Why does it matter to you? My Kikai tell me you only have one as well."

"Tch. Worst case scenario already," The redhead Kumo-nin muttered mutinously, "Alright then, let's go. Samui, you get the Hyuuga. Omoi, take the weird shady guy. I got the dog-boy.

As they got into position, Shino murmured, "Hinata-san, my friends have been sensing fear from you for a while. Are you prepared to fight?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Then be prepared to run." Surreptitiously he passed her their scroll. "Keep this away from them. You can do that, right?"

"…Y-yes…"

Suddenly Samui, who had been secretly been performing hand-seals behind her back, called out, **"Raiton: Jou Raikou no Jutsu!" (Lightning Release: Imperial Lightning Flash Technique)** The forest around them vanished in an unannounced, all-consuming flash of light. Everyone cried out in pain and covered their eyes, trying to block out the blast.

Before all of the confusion, Samui had noticed the boy in the coat giving the Hyuuga girl their scroll. Now, having blinded everyone else, she ran forward and grabbed Hinata's wrist. What she hadn't counted on, however, was the fact that the pale-eyed girl was extremely panicky at the moment.

When an unknown hand grabbed her, all rational thought fled her mind. All she could think about was that night. The moon obscured by clouds. The headband. The man's sneering face. The words. Terror. Fear. Helplessness.

"_No!"_ She screamed and lashed out as hard as she could, accidentally punching the Kumo-nin in the face and blasting chakra in all directions. Caught off guard, Samui stumbled away, losing her grip. In that instant the blue-nette vanished into the trees, blindly running as fast as she could away from the conflict.

"Ugh, not cool," The busty blond muttered to herself, giving chase. She would leave the girl's teammates to her own.

.

Hinata kept running. Her vision had, by this time, started to clear enough so she could stop running into trees and keep away from _them_. For that was the only thought on her mind; escape _those people,_ lest they try to take her away again. She would rather die than, than go through the things _that man_ had said they'd do to her! Her foot caught a tree root and she stumbled badly, spraining her ankle. She tried to keep going, but now her foot wouldn't support her weight enough to run. She hobbled as quickly as she could, hearing Samui behind her.

**"Raiton: Jou Hekireki no Jutsu!" (Lightning Release: Imperial Thunderclap Technique)**

To the fear-addled Hyuuga, the sound of the air splitting was akin to being stabbed from behind. The sudden, booming crack sounded so close and suddenly menacing that her body abruptly locked up in terror.

A second later Samui caught up to the girl and found her lying on the ground in the fetal position, eyes glassy and shaking as she moaned in pain and fright. Blood was trickling from her ears, where the thunderclap had burst her eardrums. "Hah…" she sighed, rubbing her bruised cheek, "It would've been much cooler for you if you'd just given me the scroll." She knelt by the smaller girl. "Oh boy, the scroll's locked up tight," she mumbled, seeing how Hinata's limbs were clamped tight over her body defensively, blocking access to the pocket which held the scroll, "Let's just get at that, mm?" However, even as she took Hinata's wrists with her own slender hands, the girl suddenly came back to her senses and scrambled away, kicking Samui in the side in the process. "Ouch! Stop that," Samui snapped, frustrated.

However, having been deafened by the blond Kumo-nin's jutsu, Hinata did not answer. She only scuttled away, face pale with fear and pain, dragging her injured leg after her and staring back at Samui with terror in her moon-like eyes.

"This is seriously uncool," Samui said, more to herself than to Hinata, "What are you so scared of? Huh?" Hinata only tried to hide behind the base of a tree, cowering at its roots. Groaning, the large-breasted woman walked deliberately to where she lay and crouched down, looking Hinata dead in the eye. As she did, for the first time she was able to see and appreciate the deep-seated fear in those milky orbs. She repeated her question, but this time sincerely. "What are you so afraid of?"

Hinata said nothing but stared at the icy blue eyes. For a moment, she was reminded of Naruto's eyes. The thought of the boy she loved seemed to relax a fraction of the tension in her body. Finally, shakily, she raised a slim finger and pointed at the other girl's hitai-ate, which was tied to her arm.

Frowning, Samui followed the pointing finger. After a moment, she leaned forward, pressing the side of her fist to the Hyuuga's forehead and putting her own head on the other side. "I don't get it," she said, transmitting the vibrations through her hand.

Hinata stiffened at the physical contact, but after a minute, she said, haltingly and semi-loudly, "Kumo…almost…stole me."

The blond blinked and sat back. "Kumo…" she murmured, "Why would you be scared of-" she stopped dead, feeling suddenly cold. "Oh. No. You were the one from eight years ago. The one who was almost kidnapped by the diplomat on Raikage-sama's orders." While Samui was a loyal Kumo-nin, there were just some of the Raikage's decisions that, as a person, she just couldn't agree with. Of course, as a Genin, her opinions mattered very little. "But then," for the first time, Samui stammered, things starting to line up in her head, "Eight years ago you would've been…how old?!"

For the past while, Hinata had been able to tell what the woman (she didn't want to think of her as a Kumo-nin) was saying by reading her lips. In answer to the question, she timidly raised four fingers.

Samui felt sick. "Raikage-sama…tried to abduct such a young child!" she gasped, "That's, that's…" For a moment, her loyalty to such a person wavered. She couldn't even use her signature 'un-cool' phrase, that's how mortified she was.

Curious, Hinata inched forward. Samui's shoulders were shaking, and she looked as pale as Hinata herself. Tentatively, she tapped the foreign ninja on the shoulder, intending to ask what was wrong.

Much to her shock, Samui suddenly threw her arms around the smaller girl and pulled her into a crushing hug, making her squeak with surprise and fright. The busty Kumo-nin was actually crying as she embraced the tiny girl. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that because of us."

Hinata couldn't read Samui's lips, since her position left the Hyuuga unable to see her mouth, but that didn't matter. To go from running in fear to suddenly being hugged by a complete stranger (an enemy stranger, no less) was a huge shock. The emotions that Hinata's fear had kept at bay for the past while finally came to the surface. She cried all over Samui's shoulder, surprising the older woman with volume of her bawling as she slumped into the hug, shaking with fright-induced, hysterical tears.

Five minutes later, Hinata fell asleep, leaving Samui with a sudden dilemma. _It'd be cool if we could have both scrolls,_ she thought, _But…should I take it? Should I take advantage of this girl, who just fell asleep from crying on me? She's an enemy in these exams, right?_ Gently, trying not to wake her, Samui lifted Hinata away from her. Her round, tear-streaked face looked peaceful in sleep. Thinking back, Samui remembered how the girl had acted in the First Test. Karui was right, in a way. The Hyuuga were known for being fearless in their pride. Why would one of their members (their heiress, in fact), want to back down? _Perhaps Kumo isn't the only thing to make her suffer,_ she thought.

Hinata stirred and opened her eyes for a moment. "Naruto…kun?" she asked blearily.

In an out of character moment, Samui felt like crying herself at the love in the girl's voice; more love than a girl her age should be capable of. _I'm not Naruto, though,_ she thought as Hinata went back to sleep, _I'm Samui._

[Later]

The two teams stood once more across from each other. Karui and Omoi were rather sluggish from Shino's Kikai feasting on their chakra. Hinata stood with her own team, in shock. After waking up, Samui had actually healed her ears and ankle before taking her back to the others. But that wasn't the most surprising part…

"So this was a total waste of time," groaned Karui, who bore numerous scratches from Kiba and Akamaru, "You guys have an Earth Scroll like us. You still wanna fight?"

Shino and Kiba both looked at each other in confusion, but Hinata said in a small voice, "I think we should just move on."

Kiba looked at her in consternation, but Shino understood and nodded. "Very well."

As they parted ways, Kiba whispered, "But why did they say we have the same thing? Ours is a Heaven Scroll!"

Hinata merely shook her head and refused to say anything more until they reached the tower.

(Flashback end)

Naruto was stunned. "She lied to her team," he said in surprise, "That's…"

His girlfriend nodded into his chest, still not looking at him. "…I couldn't do anything," she said miserably, "If S-Samui-san hadn't taken pity on me, I would have failed my team and been a burden on them. I was…" her fists balled up, "I was so useless! I thought I got stronger, but one look at a team of K-Kumo-nin and I could only run away! I hate it! I hate being a coward! I wanted to be- to be brave like you-!"

Her impassioned self-anger was cut off by Naruto as he kissed her firmly on the lips. She let out a muffled sound surprise, only to moan as he stuck his tongue into her mouth, massaging the sides, bottom and top of her own tongue. She felt herself going weak in the knees as he finally pulled back.

"You're not a coward," he said to her flatly, "When we first started hanging out, you always said you could never get better. But you did. Just now, you said that you thought you'd gotten stronger, that you _wanted_ to be stronger. Would the old Hinata have said that? I want to say yes, but I don't know."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered. She backed away, confusing him for a second, then charged forward and rammed into him, knocking him backward with a squawk of surprise until he hit the bed.

Before Naruto could sit up, the blue-haired girl pounced on him, straddling his waist with her hands pinning his shoulders to the mattress. "Ah, Hinata, what-!" He broke off, seeing the fire in her pale lavender eyes.

"I love you," she said, her breathy voice coming out inadvertently sultry, "So much." She lowered herself onto his body, wrapping her arms around the back of his head and pulled him into another kiss; this time both of them used their tongues, trying to overcome the other.

For Naruto, the feeling of Hinata's petite, curvy body pressing into him was amazing; her round, full breasts squished against his chest and his hands, which were still free, wandered down to grip her firm butt. She squeaked into his mouth as he squeezed and he grinned internally, before suddenly rolling them over and breaking the kiss. "I love you too," he murmured into her ear, licking her neck just under the lobe.

The Hyuuga heiress shuddered and let out a slight mewl of pleasure. Not for the first time, she was thankful that Kunoichi (and female Hyuuga in particular) developed so early in their lives, if it meant being able to feel like this.

After a moment, though, he rolled off her, flushed with arousal and embarrassment. "We probably shouldn't," he muttered, "Shinobi or not, we're twelve to thirteen. Kinda young to be doin' stuff like this..."

In a flash Hinata was on top of him again, scowling down at him. "I don't care," she said, blushing slightly, "You don't get to do th-that and stop halfway!"

Blinking, he chuckled and leaned up to kiss her on the nose. "Alright, alright, sorry for winding you up! Still, you're not feelin' so miserable now, are you?"

She paused at that. It was true that the doubt that had been plaguing her thoughts for the past few hours had all but evaporated. She sighed. "You...you just won't let me be unhappy, will you?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"Not while I can do something about it," Naruto replied, grinning. He was being serious, though. "Now, you mind getting off? I'm pretty hungry."

"G-get off?" she asked, suddenly scarlet.

He quirked an eyebrow at her for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "I'm wondering which of us is really the perverted one here," he muttered. He gave her a light slap on the rump, "Go on, get." Still slightly red, she let him up. As he walked to the door, Naruto glanced back at her. "And Hinata...before you start getting all gloomy about losing, I want you to remember something," he turned to face her, jabbing himself with his thumb, "Do you think _I've_ gotten stronger, compared to back in the academy?"

"Yes!" said Hinata instantly.

Naruto laughed at the firm certainty with which she answered. "Yeah, exactly. But," his face became seriously, "While I can definitely do more than before...I've still lost a lot of important fights. When I fought Haku-chan on the bridge, I probably might have died if it weren't for you. Then, when I fought Nord immediately afterward, I was so...so _angry_ I couldn't think straight and he beat the crap out of me. It's only because he was merciful that he didn't kill me or finish you off. And then..." He gave a hard smile. "Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. My team ran into Orochimaru of the Sannin." She gasped in horror. "Yeah," he agreed, "That bad. Any attack I landed on him was either wasted on a clone, a Kawarimi, or just rendered useless. He put two seals on me to seal off Kina-chan's and my chakra, though Jiji already had those removed. So, that's another big loss for me, though I did manage to piss him off with the fact that I kept getting back up." He strolled out the door, with the dark blue-haired girl following and falling into step beside him. "So, Hinata-chan...next time you feel like you just can't win, just remember: I'm no better off than you, even if I've gotten stronger. So, don't let defeat set you back."

"I-I see," Hinata murmured thoughtfully. For a moment, they were both silent as they walked towards the cafeteria. "But Naruto-kun," she suddenly pointed out, "You've still done great things. If it weren't for you, I probably would have d-dropped out of the first test. No, listen!" she said, surprising even herself with her vehemence, "I'm not...I'm not brave like you. If I were faced with that choice on my own, I would have folded." She blushed and looked away at her odd brand of self-confidence, taking a tray. "B-but anyway, w-we're talking about you. In the second test, you might have lost to O-O-Orochimaru, but before that you punched Gaara-san." Naruto blinked at her in confusion as they went to get their food. "Before you came along, we had to watch as he singlehandedly killed an entire team without getting a scratch on him. His sand shield was too strong for their attacks to penetrate, but you _punched straight through it!_ It was incredible. I saw how strong he was, and you made him run away."

"Is that really how it was?" Naruto muttered, taking an orange and some grapes, "Man...No wonder that girl kissed me. She must be afraid of him too. Ah, sorry!" he said quickly, realizing how it would sound to his girlfriend.

However, Hinata merely sighed and shook her head. "Naruto-kun, I'm n-not going to get mad because of that. I know how you'll probably be put under the CRA. To tell the truth I don't...really enjoy the prospect, but I won't complain."

The blond sighed as well and gave her shoulder a squeeze. In this situation, though, he couldn't think of anything prudent to say, so he remained silent.

They took a moment to collect some sustenance before settling at a table to eat, which they did in silence.

"Hmph. Seems someone had the same idea as us," droned a bored voice. They looked around to see Nara Shikamaru and his team with food trays of their own, "Mendokuse...mind if we sit here?"

Naruto only shrugged, while Hinata said in a small voice, "N-no, it's fine."

They sat down and ate. There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"So..." Ino began slowly, glancing between the two of them, "Hinata, you finally caught Naruto? How'd you get through that thick skull of his, and when?"

The dark haired girl blushed and looked down, smiling slightly. "E-eto..."

"On my team's first C-rank mission," said Naruto shortly. He really didn't want to be telling the gossipy blond anything, but he knew that once her curiosity was aroused, she would dog them until she dragged an answer out of them, "My team ran into some trouble, so Hina-chan's team got called in to help. A little bit later, I got into some trouble in the fight and she took a hit for me. She confessed to me before falling unconscious."

"Hmph," grumbled the other blond, "The way you say it takes all the romance out of it."

Naruto's mismatched eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Considering that I thought she died, it was less romantic and more heartbreaking at the time. And frankly, I'd rather not tell the girl with the biggest mouth in our class things that don't concern her."

A vein throbbed on Ino's temple. "Who the hell are you calling a loud-mouth?!" she yelled at him.

Naruto only dug at his ear, looking rather unconcerned. "I'm hoping that was a rhetorical question, 'cause otherwise..." he shrugged, smirking, "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer."

She reddened and opened her mouth to snap back, but Shikamaru groaned, "Leave it, Ino. So troublesome...just when I thought you quieted down, you went and got a smarter mouth, Naruto."

"Heh." Naruto smirked, but Hinata laid a hand on his arm.

"I'm...sorry if he seems rude," she said softly, smiling gently at Ino, "But the, um…circumstances of us getting t-together," she blushed at the thought, "Are sort of private."

Ino blinked, taken aback. While she and the Hyuuga Heiress had never spoken to each other directly, she knew of Hinata's crippling shyness. Had her relationship with Naruto made her bolder, even a little? Then she registered what she'd said. "Are you saying I can't keep a secret?" she asked testily.

Naruto leaned forward, chin on his hand, and deadpanned at her, "Considering you're known for doing the _exact opposite,_ I'd say not."

Ino reddened again, glowering, while Choji chuckled into his food.

"Naruto-kun, be nice!" Hinata said reprovingly, though still gently.

"Haai," he sighed. Even as he went back to his food, however, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, showing that he wasn't as bothered as he indicated.

It was with a feeling of confusion that the Team 10 members went back to their food. Shikamaru, though, continued to observe Naruto with narrowed eyes. What was it, exactly, that had changed his fellow dead-last so drastically? Somehow, the Nara doubted that getting a girlfriend would inspire such a change. Plus that change in his eyes, not just in color but also the emotion behind them.

Seeing as he had so little on his tray to begin with, Naruto was the first to finish and leave, giving Hinata a small kiss on the cheek as he left.

Watching him go, Ino sighed. "Well, he might be rude, but it seems like you got a nice catch, Hinata."

The blue-haired girl blushed and smiled wistfully. "Y-you think so, Ino-san?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have said so otherwise. Careful, though," a mischievous look crossed her face, "Some other girl might try to snatch him away if you're not careful."

Instead of growing nervous or sputtering denials like she expected, though, Hinata only sighed, seemingly resigned or slightly saddened about something. "That's…less of a problem than you'd think."

Ino blinked in shock at this reaction, but Shikamaru muttered, "Mendokuse…" when she looked askance at him, he elaborated, "It seems that Naruto's got some sort of rare Kekkei Genkai, which would make him fall under the CRA."

"Ah...yes," Hinata acknowledged, stunned by how quickly Shikamaru had figured it out. _He's lazy, but…he's smarter than he looks at a glance. I wonder how Naruto considers intelligence._

"Eh?! A bloodline?" asked the blonde, eyes wide. After a moment, she frowned and sat back, eyes shut. "Wait…what's the CRA again? I could've sworn I heard Dad talk about it…"

Quietly, the blue-haired girl said, "It's a law that states that…if there is a clan with a bloodline that's on the verge of dying out, at least one of the males must take on multiple wives to help repopulate the clan."

Ino paled. "You mean…like Sasuke-kun?"

Hinata couldn't help but deadpan at her. Even now she had to bring up the Uchiha. "…Yes, I suppose so. Although, Naruto-kun's bloodline is…one that might be particularly dangerous in large numbers, according to him. However, the properties of that bloodline make it so that the council will want him under the CRA no matter what."

"And those are?" asked Shikamaru, eyes narrowed in either tiredness or suspicion.

But she only shook her head and said, "That's not for me to say."

(With Naruto)

The heterochromic blond sneezed again. "Damn, Hinata-chan must be raving about me," he muttered, chuckling to himself.

"Well, it's not like you could blame her," said an amused voice, "You're very…rave-able."

Jumping, Naruto turned to see Alex walking towards. "Hey Alex," he greeted, "Where've you been?"

The Elder Blacklight only shrugged. "Oh, you know, just reconnecting with the people."

"Council meeting?"

"Eh, I'm putting that off until you finish your next Test."

The blond smirked at his 'mentor,' then frowned darkly. "You knew that Orochimaru would show up, didn't you?"

A grimace briefly appeared on Alex's face before it went neutral. "I wonder…"

"That saying only works if you can keep a straight face," snapped Naruto, "Kina went through a lot of pain because of that bastard, and Sasuke got some sort of weird mark."

"That would have happened regardless," Alex replied calmly, "Frankly, the chance of you avoiding that encounter was highly low, as well as avoiding that ending."

Naruto's mismatched eyes narrowed irritably. "Even as a Blacklight?"

The brown-haired man nodded. "Yeah. Orochimaru is a Sannin who excels in running away from death and you're a Genin, Blacklight or not. Besides, you lived, didn't you? Jiraiya already took care of those seals."

"Well, that's true," sighed the blond, pulling at his hood absently. A moment of silence. "…Though I can't help but wonder how you know that. By the way, that Ero-Sennin was your sensei, right?"

"Heh, yeah," Alex chuckled, "And yes, he was always like that. Drove us nuts when we were his students."

Ah. Right. Alex had been teammates with Naruto's own parents. He hardly ever talked about them, so it was easy to forget… "Hey Alex...some time, we really need to talk about them."

"The man's face became more somber. "Yeah. Sorry to keep avoiding the subject. Let's try for, say, after the next Test?"

"Mm. Sure." They resumed walking, having no destination in mind. "So, will this talk be before or after that Council meeting?"

"Oh, definitely after."

"Ah, c'mon!"

Alex only snorted and kept walking. "So, what're your impressions on those Ma-Ni-nin?"

"The Gormim, you mean?" Naruto asked rhetorically, "I didn't really get to see any of them in action but apparently that green-haired one, Carlos, kicked Sasuke's ass _hard_."

"Not surprised. Nine times out of ten, if a Gorem fights anyone else, I'd bet on the Gorem."

The blond glanced at the Elder Blacklight with a raised eyebrow. "A completely unbiased opinion, I'm sure."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Look kid, we're a group of universe-hopping immortals who collect powers as we go. Granted, we're not the only one, but still. Losing is much harder than it used to be."

Admittedly, Naruto couldn't find any flaw in that statement, so he said nothing in response. He did notice the mention that the Gormim were not the only group, but chose to leave that alone.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before they reached his room. "How's Kina?" Alex asked.

"Fine. Seems kinda fidgety all alone in my head. And by kinda, I mean she won't stop moving around."

"What sort of Jinchuuriki are you, leaving your Bijuu unattended?" he demanded jokingly.

Naruto snorted. "What sort of tenant are you, walking out on your roommate and not coming back?"

"Er…touché," muttered the Blacklight, before vanishing in a wisp of black mist, back into the seal on his junior's stomach.

With another snort, Naruto went inside. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

(Meanwhile, with Hinata)

The Hyuuga heiress, unlike her boyfriend, wasn't feeling very amused at the moment. On the contrary, as she stood facing the Kumo-nin Samui, Hinata felt decidedly ill. While the crippling terror from before was now slightly reduced, she still did _not_ want to be there right now. Still, she had to say her piece. "U-um…" she mumbled.

Samui just gave the inky-haired girl a blank look. "What? Spit it out, will you?"

Hinata flinched and looked down. "Um…I-I just wanted to th-thank you for…for the other day. That-that's it. Thank you."

The busty blond raised an eyebrow, surprised. For some reason, even after her actions in the forest, Samui just couldn't imagine that a Konoha-nin would ever thank her for something. Yet here was this girl, doing just that. "Ah…no, that's cool, you don't have to thank me. I mean, technically we're still enemies here."

Hinata seemed to wilt slightly at these words, causing Samui to almost immediately regret saying those words. "Then why did you spare me?" she asked quietly, "If we're enemies, why did you not take the scroll from me and, and-" She stopped, shivering and pale.

The blond sighed and shook her head. To be truthful, even she wasn't sure why she hadn't just stolen the scroll while the girl slept. Slept after crying her eyes out on Samui's shoulder. Right. Like that wouldn't have haunted her for a long time after. But how could she say that without sounding like she'd just taken pity on her? Although that was what happened… Finally she said, "Because my name's 'Samui,' not 'Tsumetai.'"

"Eh?" Hinata cocked her head, taken aback and confused. But Samui abruptly turned her back and walked swiftly away. The Hyuuga noticed that the back of her neck was turning red as she went. Then the meaning of her words suddenly registered to her and she face-palmed. "Th-that was a very bad joke," she mumbled, partly to herself.

However, Samui still heard her and her normally stoic face flushed darker in embarrassment.

(Timeskip: a few days later)

As the week of the Second Test came to a close, a voice suddenly sounded throughout the tower, making everyone look up. "At this time, the Second Test of the Chunin Exams has ended. All teams who have passed, please go to the entrance room to be taken to the area of the next Test."

Naruto, who was lying on his bed, sat up with a grin. "About time! Let's get to it."

As he stood up, he felt a shift in his mindscape. With that as his only warning, Alex materialized in the room. "I need to go on ahead," he said abruptly, "I'm proctoring this next one. Keep your wits sharp, Naruto."

Alex was the next proctor? Somehow, that made sense to the blond. As the older man exited the room and vanished from sight, Naruto mused to himself, _That settles it. The next Test is definitely gonna be for fighting._ He grinned widely to himself. _Can't wait._

He too crossed to the door and left.

At the entrance room of the tower, he encountered Sakura and Sasuke, and they of course stuck together in their group, as did all the other Shinobi.

Once everybody had gathered, the giant scroll with the cryptic poem about Heaven and Earth swung open, revealing a long dark tunnel. Behind the hidden door was Anko, arms crossed and looking impatient. "Hurry up, you lot!" she called, turning and walking down the corridor, "We haven't got all day!"

With some trepidation, they all followed her.

After around ten minutes of walking, they emerged into a large, well lit rectangular room. Along each of the longer walls was a sturdy balcony. At one end was an enormous statue in the shape of a pair of hands performing a seal. In the center of this room stood the Sandaime Hokage and Alex Mercer, both of whom were looking expectantly at the assembled Genin. Along the edges of the room were various Jonin sensei, although only a few of them were from Konoha. With a start, Naruto recognized Nord Baro leaning against a wall, idly playing with his scarf. The older blond caught his eye and waved cheerily at him. He shuddered, then noticed that Kurenai was also in the room, glaring darkly at Nord. It seemed that she still hadn't forgotten how the Gorem had completely outclassed her in Genjutsu.

As everyone lined up in formation, Sarutobi stepped forward and cleared his throat. "To those of you gathered here, I would like to congratulate you on getting this far in the Chunin Exams. You have proven that you can gather information discreetly, make important decisions, and that you can survive in hostile territory. For this final test, will have to prove how well you can act in a combat situation."

Alex stepped forward. "My name is Alex Mercer," he told them, pointedly ignoring the odd looks at his name, "I'll be the Proctor for the Third Test. Like Hokage-sama just said, it will be a rather straightforward series of one-on-one battles between all you Genin, using everything in your arsenal to win. What Hokage-sama did _not_ mention, however, is that the actual Third Test will take place in one month's time. What we're doing right now is a Preliminary exam. Also, all Genin Teams are hereby dissolved for the purposes of this exam."

There was an uproar as everyone started talking all at once. The brown-haired man groaned quietly as the sound level rose sharply, before he suddenly flared his Killing Intent, shutting them up. "Listen up: I don't like repeating myself!" he barked at the assembled Genin, "The fact of the matter is, too many of you passed the first two Tests. Because some people are wondering if those were too easy, these Preliminaries will be used to weed the out those who will be allowed to fight in front of all the Daimyo and Kage, who will be arriving in one month to observe the event."

Quite a few faces became shocked at this news. They would be fighting in front of the Daimyo? But Alex continued. "Now, anyone who would like to drop out now, please raise your hand and state your intention to do so."

Surprisingly, one person did. "I'm out," said Yakushi Kabuto, looking regretful, "My team only just got out of the Forest, and I've not had enough time to recover."

"Yakushi Kabuto, right?" asked Alex, nodding, "Alright, you're free to go." As the silver-haired teenager turned to leave, Naruto briefly saw a downright grim look cross the Proctor's look, while at the same time he sensed a feeling of the deepest, most bloodthirsty excitement from Kabuto. What was going on here? "Anyone else want to leave?" Alex asked again. No one answered. "…Right, so here's how it'll work," he began. He pointed over his shoulder at an electronic board on the back wall, behind the statue. "That thing will pick two names at random from the twenty six people still here. Then, for those who are picked, you will fight until one of you surrenders or I declare you no longer able to fight. Once I call the winner, though, you will _stop,_ got me?" He glared around at them, particularly at Gaara, who frowned back.

Finally, he sighed and took a step back. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?" he said quietly. He pointed at the board. "Roll it!"

AN: …At this point, I don't really think I can make excuses for how long I've taken for this one. It's not even a chapter where too much happens. Nevertheless, I now declare Chapter 27 of CoG: NOT to be complete. While I cannot promise not to take so long for the next chapter, I can only promise to try.

So, summary time!

1. So yeah, the chapter title's pretty long; sorry about that.  
2. You ever have that feeling where you can't even remember sleeping? That's what Naruto is sort of experiencing.  
3. What, you never think of Hinata in a towel? No? Your loss, then.  
4. …And once again Hinata's insecurity issues rear their head. You guys might be getting tired of this, but it's not like it's gonna go away any time soon. That said, this is pretty much the last time it'll be so heavy.  
5. Yeah, so as mentioned previously, Hinata has a serious phobia for Kumo-nin. Also, I'd like to thank Dei-chan for coming up with Jutsu for Samui.  
6. Samui, despite all logic telling her that Hinata's the enemy, instead decides to comfort her in her terror, heal her ears and leave the scroll. Why? Because fuck realism, that's why. There is always room for kindness with a stranger, no matter who they are. Anyone who wants to dispute this scene can go [REDACTED].  
7. Naruto reminds Hinata that, while he himself is stronger, he has also been getting his ass kicked quite a lot in this story. I assure you, though, this will be changing in the next 2-3 chapters.  
8. Ino tries to be nosy, only for Naruto to rebuff her. While I don't have anything against Ino personally, I really don't like gossips.  
9. Naruto meets up with Alex and they engage in small talk. This is where the chapter starts to become just a tad rushed; my apologies, but I just wanted to finish this.  
10. Samui's joke is kind of untranslatable. 'Samui,' of course, means cold. However, it is used when referring to the weather. Tsumetai also means cold, as in cold to the touch. It is also used to refer to someone as 'coldhearted.' Get it?  
11. Timeskip to the Third Test, because that's what we're all here for, right?  
12. Surprise motherfuckers! Alex is the Proctor this time around.  
13. And so the tournament begins…

On a slightly more unfortunate note, I have recently come to the decision to slightly decrease the size of the Harem. Again, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can keep track of what to do with who if I don't make the number smaller.

The Harem will now be:  
Hinata (Blacklight)  
Kina (Terme)  
Samui (Lampe)  
Temari (Baro)  
Shukaku/Karura (Petra)  
Fuu (Gloma)  
Choumei (Baro)  
Yugito (Lampe)  
Matatabi (Terme)  
Haku (Ghiaccio)  
Kin (Din)  
Tayuya (Din)  
Mei (Souse)

Anko may end up paired with Alex

Oh yes! I have also come up with several Challenges:

Dresden Files X Fate/stay night crossover 1  
Due to someone's latest attempt to summon an Outsider, the Heaven's Feel Ritual is inadvertently triggered in Dresden-verse. Obviously, Harry is made one of the Masters. Which Servant he summons is entirely up to you, as well as what Heroic Spirit they are. Try looking up the Create-a-Servant list on SpaceBattles for inspiration. I recommend starting the story after Grave Peril (Book 3). Pairings are up to you.

And of course, the reverse:

Dresden Files X Fate/stay night crossover 2  
Harry Dresden gets summoned as Caster. This can take place in F/sn or F/Z. Please keep in mind that Harry does not have to be summoned by Uryuu/nameless Association Mage; you could make it so that Shirou summons him (they're both people who cannot say no to helping others), or Sakura (need I explain this?).

Anyways, that's all for now. Dunno what I'll be updating next, but it probably won't be this one. At least, not immediately. So as always, if you have any questions, please leave a Review or send me a PM. North South out.


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Alright, better get started on this already. A few days is enough of a break, I think. However, first I will answer some of the Guest reviews

Guest 1: I already explained this in the previous chapter's Author Note, but whatever. The Samui-Tsumetai joke is Japanese wordplay. Both words mean 'cold,' but are used for different contexts. Samui is used to refer to the weather, while Tsumetai is used to refer to the temperature of an object. However, Tsumetai can also be used to refer to a person as 'coldhearted.' In the joke, Samui is stating that while her name means 'cold' it doesn't mean that she's a cold person. I will admit that it does lose a little in the translation. And by a little, I mean a lot.  
On the subject of Hanabi: see the author note

Guest 2: I was thinking of Homestuck, when the Magic Cue Ball exploded in Vriska's face. (You fans will know what I'm talking about)

Akuma-Heika: I'll have to think about that, but it sounds like a good idea, thanks.

Guest 3: While I have played Prototype, I do not own it, and I haven't played Prototype 2, so I'll take your word for it. However, as far as weaknesses go, the extreme heat weakness will be somewhat easy to overcome.

Guest 4: I have yet to complete the first chapter, despite the passing years. It has not been published.

ILOVEPIEALOT: The Worship of the Log is a pseudo-religion started by the author Third Fang. It's just a humorous thing that most Naruto fic writers have taken up, but it doesn't mean much.

Daemon Prince 7: First, let me just say that the spelling of your name is kinda annoying me. No offence. Anyway, in answer to your review...yeah, the harem has spent many years in development. I'd like to say that no, Ino is _not_ in it anymore, and neither is Mei. As for Karin, I do have plans for her. Also, there can't be a female version of the CRA. The CRA is to ensure that a dying clan is repopulated quickly, which a female is physically incapable of. A male can impregnate multiple women, while it is rather unlikely for a woman to give birth to more than one child at a time. For the randomness...that would be pretty funny, but probably not as much as you think. After all, Naruto can turn himself into a girl, which is especially effective as a Blacklight.

Anyways, Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Prototype, or any other fandom referenced in this story. I do, however, own the fic itself, and the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"  
Text  
_Thoughts  
__Inner being to outer being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 28: Easy Win

The board remained blank. For a long, rather amusing moment, Alex awkwardly remained in his pose, inwardly wondering why there was no noise. Finally, his arm dropped and he looked around irritably. "OI!" he yelled, "What's going on over there? Did you morons forget to turn it on? Huh?"

There was an embarrassed shuffling from the far wall. Then, with a flicker of static, the board flared up and turned on properly. On it, two rows of names scrolled by at a blurring pace, with the letters 'VS.' between them. Then they stopped.

Uchiha Sasuke  
Vs.  
Akado Yoroi

_Why am I not surprised?_ thought the Proctor drily. "Alright, everyone who _isn't_ Uchiha Sasuke or Akado Yoroi, get your asses up to the balcony so we can get this fight over with. You two, take your positions on either side of me."

The gathering split in two, each half going to a side. Rather predictably, almost all of the Konoha-nin stuck together, with their sensei following. Only Yoroi's teammate, Misumi, along with the foreign Shinobi, went to the other balcony.

"Good," grunted Alex, "So, let's do this." He cleared his throat. "Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi: FIGHT!"

As the assembled ninjas watched, Naruto leaned toward Hinata and muttered, "That strict attitude fits him surprisingly well. I can see him as an actual teacher."

"Only when he actually has something to teach," said Kurenai bitterly, having heard them clearly.

The blond only sighed. _Well, he is a Blacklight who lacks chakra, so blaming him for that is just petty thinking,_ he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Sasuke appeared to be having a bit of trouble with his opponent. It seemed that Yoroi had the ability to absorb chakra using physical contact, so the Uchiha had to play keep-away. Then he remembered that he actually had jutsu and promptly torched him with a Goukakyuu.

"Hm..." Alex looked down at the twitched, charred body of Yoroi. Yep. He wasn't getting up any time soon. "Winner by...either knockout or incapacitation, can't tell which: Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, that was short," muttered Kakashi, not looking up from his book, "Kinda disappointing..."

Sakura looked at him. "Are you talking about the fight or your porn?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

The Jonin only eye-smiled. "Maa, I'll let you work out the answer yourself."

Her teammate snickered, even as Sasuke climbed up the stairs to join them.

Meanwhile, Alex watched as Yoroi's sorry carcass was hauled out of the room. "Alright, now for the next match." The board was once again sent rolling.

Kankuro  
Vs.  
Tsurugi Misumi

As with the previous match, this one did not last too long. Naruto did lean forward interestedly when Misumi revealed his ability to dislocate his joints and stretch his limbs. However, the Suna-nin quickly turned the tables by showing that he'd switched himself with his puppet, Karasu. "Huh. Those chakra strings look like something you might be good at," Naruto murmured to Hinata.

She kept watching for a second as the puppet's four arms constricted around the Genin, wincing at the audible crunch as Misumi's bones were crushed, before answering. "W-what would I use them for?" she asked.

"Damned if I know," he said simply, shrugging, "It just looks like you'd need a lot of control, and heaven knows you've got that."

She flushed and looked back at the arena floor, a smile tugging insistently at the corner her mouth.

"Winner by Incapacitation: Kankuro!" A minute or so later, after Misumi went to join his teammate, "Next fight!"

Tsuchi Kin  
Vs.  
Nara Shikamaru

Naruto frowned at the Oto Kunoichi as she took her place. While his clone had only gotten a quick look at her in the forest before being killed, he thought she looked frightened of something. Before Alex started the match, she kept stealing glances over her shoulder at her team. Well, with teammates like that, it was hard to blame her for her nervousness. When he took a look the Oto Jonin himself, however, Naruto damn near choked on his tongue. Either the man had a very unfortunately similar appearance (not fucking likely), or Orochimaru had snuck in to watch. Un-fucking-believable. _Really hoping Jiji can recognize him,_ Naruto thought, slightly amazed at how obvious the disguise was.

Either way, the fight was slightly more interesting than the last two. First the girl had tried a diversionary tactic with her senbon, tying bells onto only some of them, only for Shikamaru to see through it. Then she revealed that it was in fact a setup for a sound-based Genjutsu. Sadly (or not, depending on your point of view), Naruto couldn't exactly experience the illusion for himself, being only a spectator and not a participant. However, Shikamaru, through clever exploitation of Kin's own knowledge of her equipment, trapped her in his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Technique). Then he'd made her knock herself out on the wall behind her, keeping her in the dark until the end.

"Winner by Knockout: Nara Shikamaru!"

_I bet he'll make it all the way to Chunin,_ thought Naruto appreciatively, _He's definitely got the smarts for it. I pity anyone who'll try to make him do anything, though._

Predictably, Shikamaru's first word upon climbing back up to the balcony was, "Troublesome."

Aburame Shino  
Vs.  
Abumi Zaku

Next up was Shino against that guy from Oto. Zaku didn't look too thrilled at having to fight the quiet boy. This time, while the fight was still short, the ending was a bit different. Zaku, of course, shot blasts of air at Shino, only for the Aburame to fall apart into bugs and reappear behind the Oto-nin. They had a brief exchange of Taijutsu, which wasn't exactly riveting. "Seems that Shino's just a bit reliant on those Kikai," Naruto said quietly to himself, "That's left his Taijutsu to stagnate a bit. But he does still practice it, while that other guy seems to rely entirely on those tubes in his arms."

Kakashi actually looked up at his blond student in surprise. "You're very observant, Naruto. Normally only a Jōnin would have enough experience to see something like that."

Grimacing, the blond muttered, "Well, you could say I've got a Jōnin's experiences." His teacher blinked at that, then nodded solemnly as he remembered the fate of Zabuza.

Back with the fight, Zaku finally managed to knock Shino away from him, sending him rolling across the floor. "Got you now, bug bastard!" He pointed his hand at the Aburame. **"Zankūha!"** Nothing happened. "Huh?" grunted Zaku. He looked down at his hands, only for his eyes to widen in shock and horror. His arms and hands had Kikaichu crawling all over them.

"I planted those Kikai on you while we fought hand to hand earlier and had them plug up those pipes," Shino said in his usual monotone, climbing to his feet calmly, "Why didn't you feel them on you? Most likely, whatever procedure used to implant those tubes have deadened the nerves on your palms. I suggest you surrender. Why? If you try to attack now, your jutsu will only harm yourself."

"Screw you!" shouted the spiky-haired boy. He pointed both of his bug-logged hands at his opponent, "I'll blow away both these disgusting things and you! **Zankūkyokuha!"**

In a different world, this action would have caused the pressure both of Zaku's arms to explode. However, in this world, the Oto-nin had not had his arms dislocated earlier by Uchiha Sasuke. So instead, the blocked pressure went somewhere else.

Abumi Zaku never knew what hit him when his heart suddenly crushed itself inside his chest. Blood exploded forcefully from his mouth and nose. His eyes froze, forever surprised by his own death.

Shino stood stock still, the little of his face that was visible paling considerably. His legs shook, even as his Kikaichu returned to him. He'd just killed another person. Him. In front of his teammates.

Alex, who was watching the Aburame boy himself, sighed. Then he took another breath and said with finality, "Winner by Fatality: Aburame Shino."

Shino stumbled back at those words, then turned jerkily and went up the stairs. When he reached the top, Kurenai was waiting for him. She put an arm around him and whispered in his ear. Naruto didn't know what it was, deciding it wasn't something he should listen in on, but Shino only nodded in reply. Then he went to the back wall and leaned against it, sliding down into a sitting position. Hinata looked back at him, then at Naruto, then went over to where her teammate was to sit next to him.

All the while, the blond did not move from where he stood, his eyes fixed on the body of Zaku, which was being loaded onto a stretcher and covered by a cloth. Was killing someone for the first time such a traumatic thing, to get such a reaction out of Shino? _Then why didn't I feel anything when I killed those guys in Nami no Kuni?_ Naruto hissed to himself and shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about such things… Glancing at the opposite balcony, he noticed Dosu looking darkly at him. The disguised Orochimaru, however, had disappeared. _Didn't stick around long, did he?_

When the body had been removed, Alex (whose posture seemed a bit more tense than normal) grunted, "Next fight."

Temari  
Vs.  
Yamanaka Ino

The platinum blonde gulped. After the shockingly brutal end to the last match, she was feeling a bit shaky herself.

As it turned out, hers was basically the shortest match so far. No sooner had they gotten into the arena and Alex said "Fight," then Temari had grabbed the large bar hanging on her back and swung. A blast of wind lifted Ino off her feet and slammed her into the wall with a yelp, knocking her out. Even Temari looked surprised that she didn't need to attack again.

Up in the other stands, Len blinked and looked at his own team. "What happened? I blinked and missed it."

Nonplussed, Alex went over to the blonde girl, checked to make sure that she was actually unconscious, and said, "Winner by Knockout…Temari." _Wow. I don't think I've ever seen a shorter fight. Probably one of the worst matchup ever; what were they thinking?_

Rather than being removed, Ino was carried back up to the balcony by Asuma, who looked pretty embarrassed for his student. Sakura, on the other hand, looked positively gleeful at how completely outclassed her rival had been. Only Naruto's 'keep your trap shut' look kept her from crowing about it, though.

Omoi  
Vs.  
Akimichi Chōji

"Hold my chips, Shika," said the chubby boy, pushing the bag into his friend's hand (but since Shikamaru was so lazy, he only dropped it), "I'm gonna go avenge Ino-chan's defeat."

Hearing that, Naruto only snorted. "That won't be too hard to top."

Hinata, who had come back from comforting Shino, lightly slapped his upper arm for his rudeness, which only made him laugh harder.

As the two combatants stood apart from each other, Chōji sweated as he looked at his taller, more fit opponent. _Maybe I didn't think this through…_

Omoi's thought process was a bit more complicated. _I heard that Akimichi don't like being called fat. What if I slip up and call him fat anyway? Then he'd probably get mad and fight harder, which would make the match harder too, and then I'd have to pull out my stronger moves, and then he'd get hurt, and then that shadow dude would want revenge on me, and then he'd use that shadow jutsu to make me do a stupid dance, and then Karui would hit me…_

Let us not dwell further on him.

"Omoi and Akimichi Chōji: fight!"

Immediately Chōji leaped into the air and cried, **"Baika no Jutsu!" (Multi-Size Technique)** Instantly his body puffed up into an enormous ball, minus his arms, legs and head. However, he quickly pulled those in and blasted chakra out of his sleeves and pant legs, propelling him into a spin. **"Nikudan Sensha!" (Human Bullet Tank)** He hit the ground rolling.

Now Omoi had a giant ball of ninja barreling towards him like a boulder. All the while, he rapidly made hand-seals. **"Doton: Jōkaku no Jutsu!" (Earth Release: Imperial Divide Technique)** he cried, punching the ground in front of him. Instantly the floor split, a thin zigzagging chasm stretching out from the dark boy's fist directly through Chōji's path.

The rolling Genin wobbled and bounced as his terrain suddenly became less smooth, before coming to a stop, stuck in the crack. However, he quickly blasted chakra out of his limbs again, leaping into the air and diving down on his opponent.

Omoi's eyes widened as his technique was overcome so easily and quickly made some more hand-seals. **"Doton: Doryūheki!" (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)** Even as the floor rose up into a wall, the Kumo-nin used another jutsu. **"Doton: Jō Sorisen!" (Earth Release: Imperial Razor Wire)** He leaped backward as Chōji smashed through the rock wall, only crash down heavily on a tangle of barbed wire where his opponent had stood. Omoi heard a muffled yelp of pain as the Akimichi rolled into the wall, a series of wounds peppering his back. Instantly he was behind him, fingers digging into the ground and releasing a web of chakra downwards. **"Doton: Jō Henkaku!" (Earth Release: Imperial Upheaval)** He pulled upward, a large slab of marble rising from the ground to press Chōji even more against the wall, raising him slightly off the floor and preventing him from rolling out of it again. "Got you," he said unnecessarily.

In response, Chōji canceled his Baika no Jutsu, landing on his back with a grunt of pain as it aggravated his wounds. Then, before his opponent could react (being unable to see what he was doing), he quickly reactivated the jutsu, his rounded form rapidly expanding in the small space between walls. The one erected via a jutsu, however, was not as solidly rooted as its parallel. In fact, the marble wall was designed to be knocked over easily. Unfortunately for Omoi, it was being pushed from the wrong side, and he leaped backward to avoid being flattened by it.

Once more the Akimichi steamrollered towards him, albeit a little slower than before. To conserve chakra, Omoi only dodged, trying to figure out a way to end the fight. _Normal Doton jutsu just aren't doing it. I don't wanna whip out the stronger stuff, 'cause that could kill him. Taijutsu's just a stupid option at this point, so that leaves…_ he put his hands together. **"Magen: Mei Sanshoku no Jutsu!" (Demonic Illusion: Parasitic Invasion Technique)**

For a second, it looked like nothing happened as Chōji bore down on the Kumo-nin. The next second, however, the boy flopped to the ground as his jutsu dispelled, writhing on the ground and howling with fear and agony. From his perspective this was entirely justified, as his veins squirmed and bulged, thin forms wriggling about madly inside his body and causing pain beyond anything he'd ever experienced before. In front of his horrified eyes, the worms (for what else could they be?) suddenly erupted from his flesh, flailing at the air and squealing loudly, toothy maws widening in the air. Then they turned over and burrowed back into his skin.

The Akimichi's head hit the ground as he fainted, his face chalk white.

For a moment, Omoi blinked, then sighed in relief. _Well, that ended more quickly than I thought it would._

Alex walked over to the prone boy and examined him to confirm that he was unconscious. "Winner by Knockout: Omoi."

"You know, I'm wondering why they have our family names, but not theirs," Hinata muttered, "Seems a little discriminatory."

Naruto shrugged. He wasn't particularly fussed about it.

As Chōji was carried off to the infirmary, Alex walked back to the middle of the room and called for the next match.

Haruno Sakura  
Vs.  
Carlos Binarius

Len guffawed at the sour expression on his teammate's face. "Hey, don't get all sore about it, man! At least you'll be a shoe-in for the finals now."

The green-haired young man gave him a look that could make lesser men surrender without harming the hostage, then stalked past without a word, heading down the stairs.

"Eesh, what crawled up his ass and died?" asked Olivia, "Is this world's Sakura that tough?"

"No," said Nord slowly, eyeing the girl in question critically, "In fact, it's probably the opposite that's got him mad. As far as he's concerned, a fight with her is just a waste of time."

Olivia scoffed. "Wow, you strong guys have it really rough don't you?" she asked sarcastically.

"You kidding?" asked Len, "Who do you think acts as a training dummy for your techniques? Those little glass fuckers _hurt_, metal or not."

"Well then don't get hit so much, Len."

"You makin' fun o' me, _sensei?_ I ain't no contortionist like you, even without the se-"

The Ma-Ni Jōnin clapped a deceptively slender hand over Len's mouth, and surprisingly all noise ceased. "Now, now, Len. We don't need you giving away all of our secrets."

Meanwhile, Carlos reached the middle of the arena, where his 'opponent' (though he strongly protested the usage of the term) was waiting for him.

"Er…" Sakura was slightly taken aback by the dark look on the Binarius's face. "Good luck?" she offered weakly.

"**Reduce limit to 1%,"** he commanded in a deadpan.

The pink-haired girl blinked. _I think I just got insulted,_ she thought, _right?_

Alex, who was watching the Gorem with trepidation, raised his arm. "Alright then…Haruno Sakura and Carlos Binarius: Fight!"

Instantly Carlos dashed. Rather than charging straight in at the Genin, he darted left, almost faster than the eye can see. The reason for this was relatively simple. After starting the match, Alex had not bothered to move from his spot, and it was his position that the green-haired teen was exploiting. Besides the giant hand-seal statue by the wall, Alex's body was the only form of cover on the battlefield. While it was meager cover for sure, the older man (both biologically and chronologically) would serve to block him from Sakura's view, if only for a second.

With this in mind, Carlos shot behind the Blacklight as a blur, then, without pausing to put his other foot down, he jumped.

To Sakura, her opponent did indeed seem to vanish. However, she kept up her hand-seals, still looking around for her opponent. A flicker to her right made her look over, only to see the Proctor eyeing her. No, wait, he was looking up. Quickly, she did so as well, just as she completed the last hand-seal, to see Carlos diving towards her with a fierce expression, his glass arm outstretched to deliver a punishing blow. **"Ishi no Karada no Jutsu!" (Body of Stone Technique)** she cried quickly.

Carlos's green eyes widened as his body suddenly locked up. As he hit the ground, unable to land properly, his fist grazed his enemy's chest before hitting the ground, making her stumble back with a cry of pain. He was thankful that the glass appendage didn't even from the impact. "Wasn't expecting that," he grunted.

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponent," Sakura admonished him, wincing slightly at the pain of her bruise, "That's how you lost that arm to begin with." Taking a breath to still her nerves, she pulled out a kunai and put it to his throat. "Now, surrender."

Balefully, Carlos looked up at her. His eye glowed slightly, the iris rotating slowly. "Hmph," he muttered, "Seems that I gave the impression that I always underestimate enemies. But that wasn't the case this time."

"I just wanted to see what you'd pull."

Sakura instantly leaped back, whirling around and readying her kunai. To her surprise, the green-haired teen shimmered into visibility as he stepped out from behind Alex, looking bored. _That's…like what Naruto does sometimes, but different._ Remembering the one on the floor, she looked back, only for her eyes to widen. Rising to its feet was what looked like a metallic skeleton; the surfaces of its limbs appeared to be covered by tiny, branching, perpendicular lines, and it's joints were rather prominent. The round, flat eyes that stared back at her were a dull yellow, rather than green.

"…I suppose it's a bit late to be calling my attacks," Carlos said in a monotone, "But I'll say it anyway. **Kiton: D****ōtai Bunshin." (Machine Release: Circuit Clone)**

A murmuring went up at those blasé words. Not even those ninja present who knew of Kekkei Genkai elements had ever heard of something like Kiton before. _No,_ thought Kakashi, eyeing the construct suspiciously, _Rather than a Clone, it looks more like Iwagakure's Gōremu no Jutsu (Golem Technique)._ Shrugging, he finally eye-smiled. "Well, misdirection _is_ a Shinobi's first weapon," he said to no one in particular.

Down in the battlefield, Sakura was backing up, trying to keep both of her opponents in sight. The real one standing behind Alex made no move to follow her, but the Dōtai Bunshin traipsed after her, arms dangling and feet dragging. _Maybe it's still affected by the Genjutsu,_ she thought. That thought was quickly dashed as the automaton suddenly darted forward, bone-like fingers outstretched. With a scream, she ducked and ran out of its reach. However, she was brought to an abrupt halt as the short barrel of Carlos's pistol jabbed sharply into her large forehead.

"Your turn," said the Gorem, still looking bored, "Surrender or die."

Sakura gulped, but didn't move. "I…I won't," she said finally, "You didn't kill those guys in the forest, so I don't think you'll kill me here."

Carlos sighed and glanced aside. "Hm. True enough."

*Bang!* Sakura was thrown backwards and hit the ground, unconscious.

"Winner by Knockout: Carlos Binarius!"

Naruto sighed. "Well, that's that, I guess. Not like I expected anything different, but she did put up a decent fight. For her, anyway."

Kakashi lightly smacked the back of Naruto's head, eliciting a growl. "Naruto, I've told you about picking on Sakura like that."

"Not like she didn't do the same to me," the blond grunted unrepentantly. Without waiting for a response, he looked up at the board.

Tenten  
Vs.  
Len Ferro

"Why do I feel like this is gonna end badly?" he said.

Tenten, who was walking behind him, said loudly, "Wow! Thanks for the vote of confidence, Naruto-kun!"

He shrugged. "Sorry. I calls it like I sees it."

She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Over on the other side of the room, Len sighed in relief. "Thank God I didn't get one of those Kumo-nin," he said, "This'll be an easy win for me."

"That's rude," said Olivia reproachfully.

"Still true, though," Carlos pointed out flatly, "She specializes in projectiles, and almost all of the weapons she uses are bound to be metal."

The white-haired girl frowned. "So? How would that make things...oh. Right."

Len laughed and walked to the stairs.

A moment later they stood across from each other on either side of Alex. Tenten had a particularly irritated expression on her face, which was not helped by the confident smirk that Len wore.

Grimacing at the tension between the two new competitors, Alex raised his hand slowly. "Tenten and Len Ferro: FIGHT!" Immediately he jumped back, not wanting to be caught in the middle.

Tenten also jumped back, whipping out one of her many scrolls and pulling out a section.

Calmly Len reached into his pocket, even as the stretch of scroll erupted with smoke. A set of kunai and short swords immediately shot out of the cloud, all flying directly at him. "Huh. Even without throwing them you can aim them that well..." He thrust out a hand, fingers splayed, and the weapons suddenly bounced away from him as if hitting an invisible wall. "Not good enough though, try again."

Growling, Tenten pulled on more of the scroll and triggered the storage seals, unleashing another, longer barrage.

"Nope!" Only for the weapons to once again bounce off an invisible wall.

"You're starting to really annoy me!" she snapped at her opponent, pulling out even more.

"TELL ME ABOUT IT!" Carlos shouted from the balcony, to which the dusty blond looked back over his shoulder with a hurt expression.

There was another puff of smoke. "Don't look away from a fight!"

This time, there was only one projectile, a large metal club. As Tenten watched, the weapon seemed to slow down as it approached whatever barrier her opponent had put up. However, it was not slowed enough and punched through...only for Len to catch the club in his open palm. "Ah. Sorry," he said casually, "I get distracted easily." Even as Tenten reached for her next scroll, he tossed it over and caught it by the handle in a reverse grip, still one-handed. "Oi...if the same trick does work, don't keep trying it! I ain't _that_ stupid!" With a sudden, violent motion, he hurled the heavy bar at her like a javelin.

Quickly Tenten leaped aside, and not a moment too soon. The club plowed by her shoulder and buried itself in the wall behind her with a resounding crash. If the attack had connected, even glancingly, she probably would have died. _Shit. He's strong,_ she thought, _And that throw doesn't even look like it winded him._

All of a sudden Len lurched towards her, his leap propelled by his long legs. As he approached, he pulled a long, bronze chain out of his pocket. **"Pendolo!"** he cried as the watch emerged, its whirling curved blades a blur. He swung it at Tenten, carving a furrow in the wall and floor as she dodged. The scenario repeated itself for the next few minutes: Len taking long strides towards the bun-haired girl, his weaponized pocket-watch darting around him so quickly it was difficult to see as he tried to cut her. Despite his immense size and overbearing presence, the young man showed a surprising amount of control over his weapon, sending it whizzing around him in seemingly random arcs.

With no time to pull out her weapons, Tenten was forced to run, jumping backwards so as not to put her back to her opponent. She knew that the moment she let him out of her sight, he would do something. She wasn't sure what exactly made her think that, but she had no reason to doubt the feeling. _Damnit,_ she thought, _If I try to get out of his range, his legs will let him catch up quickly, and if I get too close that weapon will cut me to pieces. I need to get past his guard somehow...wait! _I_ don't have to!_ Tenten suddenly sent chakra to her legs and leaped back, taking her halfway across the room. _I've only got one shot at this,_ she thought, grabbing another scroll.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Len, crouching slightly, **"Jiton: Ōkina Ippo!" (Magnetic Release: Great Step)** The ground beneath his back foot pulsed with a purple circle and he suddenly rocketed forward at blinding speeds. He swung Pendolo in an equally fast arc, angled low to the ground and aimed to wrap the chain around her legs. "Watch your feet, little Panda!" he roared.

To his surprise, Tenten jumped up into the air, avoiding the lethal time-keeper. "Who're you calling a panda?!" She snarled back at him, hurling her scroll at him directly. Len jerked his head to the side to avoid it, but as he opened his mouth to give a sarcastic remark, it died in his throat. When the girl had thrown the scroll, seemingly out of irritation, she had in fact held onto the edge of the paper, causing it to unravel. With her accuracy in throwing it past his head, the inner side of the scroll, with all of its seals full of weapons, was positioned right next to his face.

"Oh, sh-"

**"Fūin Kai!"**

There was a flash of light as the weapons exploded out to the left of the scroll. Spears, swords, knives, clubs and many more, all bristled out of the paper like pine needles. Len, caught off guard, tried to shield his face with his arm but pitched to the ground with a scream of agony.

Up in the balcony, Olivia flinched, looking pale. "H-hey, wait a sec," she said quietly to Carlos, her voice trembling, "I thought weapons like that couldn't hurt Len."

Carlos gave her a sidelong look and said, even more quietly, "You've seen how tough he is from our sparring. While it's true that blades do rather little against him, Len's skin can still be cut. In addition...there's one part of him that, at this level, can't be merely strengthened. That's..."

"My eye!" moaned Len, thrashing on the ground, "Why is it always the goddamn eye!" The entire right side of his face was littered with small cuts, bleeding a bright silvery fluid. Even more of it flowed from under his hand, which was clasped to his punctured eye.

Tenten gulped. While she had planned to catch her opponent off guard with her tactic, the fact that she'd actually taken out his eye made her feel nauseous. "S-surrender!" She said, picking up a staff and getting into a slightly shaky stance, "With half of your vision gone, you won't be able to hit me anymore!"

In answer, Len rolled onto his front, pushing himself up on one knee. "Wanna bet…bitch?" he growled, reaching for one of the weapons littering the ground. There was a flash of steel, and a curved sword sank into the hand statue behind her. Suddenly, Tenten's head felt lopsided. Bewildered, she looked around to see one of her buns of hair hit the ground, cut cleanly off. "Tch. I missed," the blond muttered, grabbing an overly long kunai.

Her instincts screaming at her, Tenten quickly twirled her staff defensively. It was good that she had, otherwise the knife would have taken out her own eye, rather than slicing off half of her other bun. Her brown hair fell messily down her face as she stumbled back. In an instant, Len crossed the distance between them, fist cocked and his face hidden in shadow. For a second, he looked even larger, filling the entirety of Tenten's vision, before his fist hit her. The wax wood staff, held up hastily in a block, gave no resistance and snapped cleanly, allowing the punch to sink into her stomach with bone-breaking force. Choking as all the wind was knocked out of her, the brunette was lifted off her feet and sent flying. Her vision started going dark even as she hit the ground. Her last sight was of Len leaping after her, knee poised to deliver another crushing blow.

"Enough!" barked Alex, causing Len to jerk to a stop, wobbling on one foot. "Winner by Knockout: Len Ferro!"

A few people in the stands sighed in relief, mostly on the Konoha side.

"Oi!" he said sharply at Len, how had started walking back to the balcony, "Get yourself checked by the medics first."

Grimacing, Len changed direction and went over to the exit.

After Tenten had been carted away and all of her weapons had been cleaned up, Alex allowed himself a small smile. "Well," he muttered, "Looks like these fights are finally starting to get interesting. Next match!"

AN: Aaaand I think I'll leave it there. Can't go through _all_ the fights in one chapter, can I? Anyways, my apologies for taking so long. I hope this will tide you over for now. Contrary to what you guys may think, a long vacation like Christmas Break does _not_ help my writing ability. I do my best writing when more or less isolated from the internet at school. And this semester I'll have ample opportunity to get it done, so hopefully there'll be more frequent updates for the next few months. No promises, though.

Summary:  
1. The chapter title says it all, basically.  
2. While a good few of the planned fights are going to be original, there are still some that will remain as is. Those fights have been largely glossed over because, frankly, who _doesn't_ know those already.  
3. Certain details, such as Sasuke being able to use the Goukakyuu to finish off Yoroi, are due to particular details that have been changed.  
4. For instance, because Zaku didn't get his arms broken in the Forest of Death, his Zankuukyokuha did not blow off his arms like in canon. Instead, Shino got his first kill by accident.  
5. Stoic though he may be, even Shino would be shaken by killing a fellow human for the first time. Fortunately, he's got a supportive sensei and teammates.  
6. Something is amiss with Naruto, however. With everyone always talking about how horrible the first kill is, Naruto finds himself wondering why he himself _doesn't care._  
7. After Shino and Zaku, we start to get to the original matches.  
8. The less said about Ino and Temari's 'match,' the better, yeah?  
9. I'd like to thank Tesla Wattage for contributing Omoi's jutsu. They were most helpful in constructing the fight between them.  
10. For those who are not clear on how Omoi won, he used a Genjutsu on Choji.  
11. You may be surprised that Sakura actually had a better fight than Ino. Eh. I had to do _something._ Making _another_ one-paragraph fight would just be a cop-out, and I don't do that. Blatantly, at least.  
12. Kiton is my own invention, and is Carlos's brand of jutsu. If he were human, you could call it his Kekkei Genkai. Or Kekkei Tōta, whichever.  
13. Dōtai Bunshin creates a crude automaton out of silicon and projects a Henge over it.  
14. And finally, a fight that I have been planning for years: Len vs. Tenten. Or, as my sister calls it, LenTen. No, there will not be a pairing between them.  
15. You know, my ideas for this fight were so all over the place that I'm almost disappointed in how it came out. Not so disappointed, however, that I'll rewrite the whole thing. It gets the job done.  
16. Tenten taking out Len's eye _was_ what I had planned originally. I couldn't have her lose without getting a hit in herself. I'm also pretty proud with how she pulled it off, too. Literally came to me at the last minute.  
17. Once again I ended up only showing a tiny fraction of Len's powers. I need to stop doing that. Oh well, I showed a new Jutsu. Those who've seen/read Magi might recognize it. Basically, the user use a magnetic charge to repel the ground beneath their feet and propel themselves forward with great speed. So yeah, Len can switch between being a Lightning Bruiser or a Mighty Glacier. Both are equally annoying.  
18. For those of you who couldn't keep track, Len dropped his watch to try and block the weapons when Tenten blindsided him. (get it?)  
19. However, he quickly shows that he doesn't really need it and gives Tenten an impromptu haircut. I think he was trying to get her eye to pay her back. Or maybe he was just trolling her and just wanted to take off her buns. I dunno, he's kinda trollish.  
20. A troll who can knock out a well-trained Genin with a single punch. Yeah.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Next chapter will wrap up the fights and move things along more.

Updated harem list (again): Hinata, Kina, Anko, Haku, Kin (maybe), Tayuya, Samui, Hanabi (I forgot to put her on the previous list. She's still in), Fem-Shukaku, Fem-Matatabi, Fuu, Fem-Choumei, Shion (maybe) and Amaru (maybe)

Also, for those of you who have not seen, I recently posted a list of Challenges under my short stories, CoG: Meddlers from In Between. I would greatly appreciate it if you were to check them out and if you are interested in taking up one of them (which would please me greatly), _please_ leave a review or send a PM saying so. They are all ideas that I dearly want to see made into reality.

With the new semester underway, I shall endeavor to write and update much faster.

With that, I bid you good day. As always, if you have any questions, please leave a signed review or send me a PM. I shall answer it with all haste.

North South out.


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Alright, let's start this chapter off to a start! However, let's get answer some anonymous reviews first.

Fanficbrowser: No offense, but the Gormen seem a bit on the Sue-ish side. Not enough to really be a problem, but it's there. And the Harem bit still really annoys me. Not because I have a problem with the idea itself, per say, (I do, but that's just my own personal beliefs), but because every other crappy Naruto, or Harry Potter, or what-have-you fic has that thrown in there. And it sucks every time. You seem to be handling it pretty well, though, so 'grats. Might want to think of shortening the list a little though (Fem-Shukaku? What?). All that aside, good chapter.

You can tell that when a review starts with 'no offense,' you're about to get dissed. Okay, first off, my _Gormim_ are not Sues. Overpowered, certainly. It's part of their design and I will wholeheartedly admit it. However, that does _not_ make them Sues. Second, while I will admit that it's hard to pull off a decent harem story, putting down the whole genre as a whole will not score you any points with me. Thirdly, shorten the list? Really?_ WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING IN THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS?!_ Seriously, take a look at the previous chapters, and then the last one: there is a marked difference in harem-size. The girls listed (without 'Maybe' attached to them) are there to stay.

A Fan: I had Fuu drop out of the exams earlier because that was only her cameo. She will make a proper appearance later. The other harem stuff will also happen gradually, it's just that Naruto ended up with Hinata first.

Guest: ...Aaaargh! *headdesk* Okay, I totally get _why_ everyone's asking this, but frankly, no. Those of you who have follow me know this: I update very slowly. This is simply due to the fact that I often go long periods without an opportunity to concentrate on writing. Also CoG: NOT is, as far as I've planned it, going to be a very long fic. Would you rather I take forever to write this entirely and then spend that same amount of time writing ANKoM? Or would you guys rather I just say 'fuck it' and write both at once? That's a rhetorical question, by the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype. I do, however, own this fic and the concept of the Gormim.

"Speech"  
Text  
_Thoughts  
__Inner Being to Outer Being_  
**Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form  
****Jutsu/Technique**

Chapter 29: Prelims Part 2, In Which There Is Danger

Once more the names on the board blurred through a cycle before settling on a pair.

Inuzuka Kiba  
Vs.  
Samui

"Whoo! I'm up!" cheered Kiba, Akamaru yapping happily, "Let's do this!"

"Cool," muttered Samui as she descended the stairs.

Alex took his place between the contestants as they faced off. Slowly, he raised his hand, glancing between their faces. "Samui and Inuzuka Kiba: FIGHT!"

Instantly both Kiba and his dog jumped back. **"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Four Legs techniques)** he cried. Instantly, his nails and canine teeth lengthened, his pupils becoming slit as his features took on a more bestial overtone. "Come and get it, bitch!" he growled, getting on his hands. Then he sprang forward, Akamaru leaping behind him. With a twist, he began whirling at high speed, quickly transforming into a gray tornado of claws. **"Tsuga!" (Tunneling Fang)**

Samui, however, didn't seem too impressed as she silently completed her hand seals and slapped her hand down on the ground. **"Raiton: Jou Arashikabe." (Lightning Release: Imperial Storm Wall)** she intoned evenly, thrusting her overlapping palms in front of her. Lightning erupted from her hands, but instead of flying forward, it shot out to the sides and spread, forming a glowing, crackling web before the Kumo-nin.

Kiba, having already left the ground and being in the middle of the jutsu, could not stop in time to see what she'd done and crashed headlong into the web. The resulting yelp of pain brought a wince from the Konoha viewers, while Akamaru skidded to a stop and yipped at him anxiously. The dog user was lying on the ground a few feet from Samui, twitching and cursing from where he lay. Eventually though, he managed to shakily push himself up onto his feet. "Is…is that all you got?" he wheezed, trying desperately to breath fully.

"No," said the busty blonde flatly. Her hands, meanwhile, finished making another set of seals. **"Raiton: Jou Raiden," (Lightning Release: Imperial Thunder and Lightning)** she stated. From her joined hands came a flash of light, so bright it seemed to engulf the whole arena. Wincing, everybody covered their eyes to avoid being blinded, apart from the Jonin, who only closed their own eyes. However, those in attendance quickly switched from their eyes to their ears, as the flash was almost immediately followed by a thunderous (literally) crash, which pounded against their temples like a hammer. Much swearing ensued, though no one else could hear.

Hinata quickly checked her own ears for bleeding, remembering how the Kunoichi had caught her in the forest, while Naruto bent over the railing and swore quietly and venomously.

When the spots finally left people's vision, they looked back at the arena.

Samui stood exactly where she had started, looking rather bored. Kiba, on the other hand, lay limply on the floor, foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the ears himself.

Rubbing his eyes, Alex ambled over to the downed dog boy and bent down to examine him. Finding him insensate, he straightened up and proclaimed (more loudly than usual), "Winner by Incapacitation: Samui!"

"Cool," muttered Samui, turning to go back to the stands.

"A good strategy," said Shino, "As an Inuzuka, Kiba's senses are much higher than a normal human's. Why did he pass out so quickly? Most likely the technique is worse at close range, and Kiba's hearing was overwhelmed by the sudden sound, so soon after losing his sight from the flash."

Shikamaru deadpanned at him. "Yeah, I think we got that. No need to explain all the troublesome details."

The bug user merely adjusted the bridge of his sunglasses and said primly, "Nevertheless…"

"Damn, that was intense," Naruto said appreciatively, "I mean, it only lasted about a fucking minute, but it was awesome."

"Well, in a perfect world, that's how a battle between Shinobi should be," Kakashi told him lightly, but with a hint of seriousness, "Short, to the point and unambiguously one-sided."

"Short, to the point and…" the blond repeated to himself slowly, nodding minutely. Then he grinned. "Heh. I like that. That's a good saying, sensei. Although, there're quite a lot of battles that get pretty drawn out, right?"

"Maa, that's true," the silver-haired man admitted, eye-smiling, "Though one would point out that this isn't anywhere near a perfect world."

As he spoke, Alex gave the signal to choose the next match. The board whirred for a second, then stopped.

Gaara  
Vs.  
Kinuta Dosu

Dosu cursed quietly, but walked towards the stairway. _Damn it. That 'secret weapon' is gonna wipe the floor with me. Ah well, it's not like I'll just lay down for him._

Gaara in the meantime vanished in a whirl of sand, reappearing on the main floor, wearing his usual expression of angry boredom.

As with Len and Tenten's fight, Alex warily eyed both combatants, who both looked ready to kill each other. Slowly, almost torturously, he raised his hand. "Kinuta Dosu and Gaara…FIGHT!"

He shot backward out of range as the cork of Gaara's gourd shot out with a low pop. Sand gushed out and curled around in midair, landing to form a ring at Gaara's feet, all without the redhead moving a muscle.

Dosu crouched, holding out his gauntleted arm defensively, fingers curled. _Okay, so what do I know about this kid? That sand of his is supposed to be some sort of automatic shield. Even if he doesn't recognize the danger, it'll protect him from any angle. No physical attack can get through it._ Little did he realize but this was no longer, strictly speaking, true. _So I'll have to let him keep thinking that,_ he finished, clenching a fist. He channeled chakra into the metal gauntlet, causing the air within to vibrate and in turn stimulating the metal to ring faintly. He charged, fist cocked back. **"Kyoumeisen!"** he cried as he approached.

Predictably, Gaara stood completely still, eyeing his opponent without trepidation. Then, as Dosu was only feet away, he suddenly struck. The sand in front of him leaped up with all the speed of a striking snake. With a shout of surprise Dosu wildly threw his punch, only to hit the grainy tendril, which instantly coiled around his gauntlet and held him fast. "Did you really think I would fall for a frontal attack?" asked Gaara, his raspy monotone tinged with irritation. However, his eyes widened as the sand holding the other boy's arm began…bubbling? The surface of the 'tendril' was bulging and bursting at random, grains raining down on the floor as the air pressure in the gauntlet blasted through it, until finally Dosu pulled his arm free of the weakened sand.

"Let's try that again!" he cried, running forward again.

Once more, Gaara merely stood still as the Oto-nin raced towards him. As Dosu swung his arm again, the sand at his feet sprang up in an instant, forming a wall that his fist sank into. This time, ripples spread out from the gauntlet as the sound contained in it was released. Gaara's eye twitched and he grunted in pain, putting a hand to his head.

Dosu smirked under his bandages. "Heh. How's that? I guess the ultimate defense isn't so-" He was cut off with a cry of pain as the sand suddenly swarmed him, quickly trapping him from head to foot.

"**Sabaku Kyū,"** growled the redhead, his pale green eyes narrowed. While his overall expression did not change that much, the intent behind it was moreso; the spectators shifted and backed up slightly as bloodlust began to permeate the air. "For trying to fight back…you will pay with your blood."

_So I guess it ends here,_ Dosu thought, struggling futilely to escape the cocoon, "Damn it!"

Gaara's fist clenched. **"Sabaku Sōsō!"**

Dosu vanished into the sand with a loud squelch, blood exploding from the mound that held him and raining down on the arena. Quite a few Genin looked ill at the sight, while other cursed quietly. The Jonin were all stony-faced at the ruthless carnage that the Suna-nin wrought.

"Winner by Fatality!" called Alex loudly, getting everyone's attention, "Gaara!" The Blacklight had no need to check what was left of Dosu to confirm that. "Now, let's have a break while someone cleans this mess up."

"No need," rasped Gaara. As the sense of bloodlust ebbed away, all of the sand rose into the air and flowed back into his gourd, taking the blood with it. _Mother…forgive the poor quality of blood. I promise, I'll give you the good stuff._

"Never mind, then," said Alex, seemingly unshaken. Once the sand user had left, the man raised his arm. "Now, on to the next fight! Roll it!"

As the board once again shuffled names, Naruto muttered, "There can't be that many fights left. When will our turns come, eh?"

"I-I don't know," Hinata replied, "But you're right, there are only three possible fights remaining."

"Hope we don't have to fight each other," the blond said half-jokingly, "That'd be the worst."

She nodded silently in agreement only to freeze, face paling as the board finally stopped.

Hyuuga Hinata  
Vs.  
Hyuuga Neji

Hinata looked around fearfully and caught her cousin's eye. The older Hyuuga smirked at her, clearly anticipating this fight wholeheartedly. She began to shake, images flying through her head of Neji beating her easily, humiliating her in front of Naruto. A hand squeezing her shoulder made her look up into said boy's face. Naruto had an expression of sympathy on his face, like he knew what was going through her mind. "Just do your best," he murmured, "Do your best and aim for winning." He kissed her on the forehead and let go. Blushing, she nodded in response and walked over to the stairs.

Neji had already descended and was waiting across from her on the arena floor. Trembling, Hinata took her place, hands together and looking much more nervous than a few seconds ago.

Just as Alex raised his arm to start the match, the brown-haired boy spoke up. "Proctor. Before you start the match, may I say something?"

Alex paused, clearly considering it, eyeing Neji suspiciously. Then he sighed and nodded.

"Hinata-sama…you should surrender," Neji said without preamble.

Hinata flinched as if struck. "W-what?" she asked.

"It's clear that you have no chance whatsoever at winning this…match," continued the older Hyuuga, affecting a condescending sort of wisdom, "That you even got here at all is major accomplishment in itself. As you are now, you have no chance of defeating me, nor will you ever."

With each word, the blue-haired girl seemed to fall in on herself, her head drooping in depression. All of the assembled Shinobi, with few exceptions, were glaring down at the Hyuuga genius. While words used to demoralize the opponent _were_ a valid weapon for a ninja, the sincere venom behind Neji's words made him all the more dislikeable.

"N…no," Hinata whispered, head hanging, "You're…I'm not the same as I was before, Neji-nii-san."

"Nonsense," sniffed Neji, dismissing her argument out of hand, "You have always been a weak, spoiled princess, and you are no different now. My eyes can see everything about you."

Naruto's eye twitched. "Well, keep those eyes off of her, ya pervert!" he called, drawing a few surprised laughs from the rest of the audience, "And you!" he shouted to Alex, "Why the hell haven't you started yet?"

While Alex apologized and scratched the back of his neck, Hinata finally raised her face. Her pale lavender eyes, normally full of warmth and kindness, were hard and unyielding. "If you have nothing to say that I haven't heard for all of my life, Neji-nii-san…then I have nothing to say in return. I will _show_ you how much I've changed!"

_Hell yeah!_ cheered Kina, _Go, Hina-chan! Fight!_

Neji's smug smile slipped and became a dark glare. "Proctor…stop the match at your discretion, before she dies."

"Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji!" barked Alex, not outwardly acknowledging the remark and dropping his hand, "FIGHT!"

Quickly, both combatants activated their Byakugan and leaped forward to engage. Neji, with his angular, precise, normal Jyuuken was a blur, his hands jabbing out like ice-picks. Hinata, however, swayed and dodged the hits easily, her body bending at wince-worthy angles with ease. Her own hands whipped out, fingertips splayed out, but each time they were batted aside by her cousin with little concern.

"Wow," said Kurenai, pleasantly surprised, "I've seen Hinata fight like this in spars, but never against an opponent.

"Is that such a big deal?" asked Ino, "Their attacks look so…wimpy."

Naruto couldn't resist remarking, "Like you're a good judge on wimpy attacks."

"Why you-!"

"Anyway!" Gai interrupted, before Ino could tear into the taller blond, "While the attacks look light, they are anything but. The Hyuuga Clan's Jyuuken is one of the most dangerous Taijutsu styles in this village. The Hyuuga, with their Byakugan, use their hits to inject chakra into the target and cause internal damage. Even the lightest touch can be devastating. That's why it's called Jyuuken (Gentle Fist)."

Meanwhile, Neji was starting to get frustrated. While he had been steadily been closing off the Tenketsu in his weaker cousin's arms for the past while, her movements did not once slow. He could not land a more solid blow, however. No matter how much quickly he struck, she could slip right out of it like an eel. Nor could he target her legs, as they were in motion too, carrying the girl around him in a strange, unpredictable dance. "Gh!" Neji grunted reflexively as a dainty hand, fingers curled like claws, suddenly raked down his right thigh, tracing lines of fiery pain through his leg muscles. As his right leg buckled in his surprise, Hinata somehow twisted over to his other side, slipped her foot under his and kicked upwards. With a cry of astonishment, Neji pitched spectacularly onto his back.

Flushed with triumph, Hinata planted the offending foot on his chest and looked down at him, one hand out behind her ear and one thrust out in front of her, fingers curled. Chakra coated each finger, giving it a flaming appearance. **"Jyuu no Mai: Shishi Tsume!" (Gentle Dance: Lion Claw)** she proclaimed proudly.

Naruto whooped and clapped his hands. "Way to go, Hina-chan!" he called proudly.

"When did she come up with that technique?" asked Shino, clearly surprised, "She never mentioned a name like that in our spars."

"W-wow!" said Ino, surprised, "Who knew Hinata could kick so much ass?"

"I did."

"I wasn't talking to you, Naruto!" she snapped.

Meanwhile, Neji glared up at Hinata as she stood panting over him. "Jyuu no Mai? There are no such techniques in the Hyuuga clan. What disrespect have you brought to the style now?"

"None," Hinata said flatly, though her voice shook minutely at the insult, "My body has never been good at the conventional Jyuuken techniques, so Naruto-kun helped me make a style that worked. I thought you'd be happy, Nii-san." A tinge of bitterness entered her voice. "I finally acknowledged that our family's 'perfect' style is beyond me. Isn't that what you wanted me to admit? That I can never get better?"

"Is such insolence really what they teach in the Main Branch?" Neji sneered back, "However, you might as well finish this battle now…if you can."

Hinata blinked and looked at her hands. The chakra coating them had vanished. "W-what? Ah!"

Ruthlessly, Neji jabbed both hands into her calf, rupturing the muscle with his own chakra. As she stumbled off, he pulled himself upright easily and stepped forward, limping slightly. Roughly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled up her sleeve, causing her eyes to widen. Her entire forearm was covered in tiny red dot-like marks.

"…Impossible," she breathed, "Since when were your eyes that good?" He had closed all of the major Tenketsu in her arms. _It must have been that exchange at the beginning…_

The older boy snorted, his blue-white eyes narrowed in cold amusement. "Such a thing should be easy for any competent Hyuuga."

Even as that statement echoed numbly in Hinata's head, Neji suddenly struck. His palm slammed full on into her chest, chakra blasting through her heart and lungs with a bright flash. The blue-haired girl was thrown backwards with a strangled cry of pain, crumpling to the floor. Her body quivered as she tried to scream, the agony burning through her, but she remained silent.

"Hmph. That's that," said the older Hyuuga coldly, turning away, "I suggest you hurry up, or she might-"

"W…wait."

He stopped dead. Those up in the stands could clearly make out the expression on his face, which was one of complete shock. Behind him, Hinata slowly pushed herself up. A small trickle of blood ran down from her mouth and her eyes were slightly unfocused, but she steadily rose up. Her right leg shook as it took her weight, but she managed to prop herself up on her knees. She coughed harshly, blood spattering onto the floor.

"I…haven't…lost…yet," she forced out.

Neji turned and stared at her in horror. Then, suddenly, anger stole over his features and he ran forward. Hinata didn't even have a chance to move before his fist struck hard across her cheek, sending her spinning to the floor again. However, within seconds she stirred and climbed laboriously back up.

"What are you doing?!" asked Neji furiously, "There's no way you can win! Why are you standing back up?"

It took a second for her to reply as her body was racked by more coughing. "Because…I'm different from before. I have a reason to not lose."

"What reason?" he snarled, "You can't win! These eyes can see your whole body; it's taking all you have just to stand. You can't possibly do anything now!"

As if it were taking a supreme effort, Hinata gave a small, sad smile. "Yes, Nii-san. I guess your eyes really do see everything…but you still don't understand a thing. Not about me, about my strength, or even your own pain. Neji-nii-san…ever since that day, you're the one who hasn't changed a bit."

Now it was Neji's turn to flinch, a complicated expression flickering across his face. But then it was quickly buried, only to be replaced by pure rage. "Don't get you get cocky with me, _Hinata-sama!"_ he yelled, hurling himself forward to strike down his cousin again. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him and a large image appeared in the vision of his Byakugan.

"_I've heard enough out of you!"_

Instinctively the older Hyuuga threw himself to the right, and not a moment too soon as an orange figure crashed into the ground where he stood. The ground cracked deeply and a cloud of dust exploded outward. Even as Neji hit the ground, unbalanced by the sudden dodge, there came the whoosh of something heavy swinging up through the air. The sound was followed immediately by the sight of an enormous black and green blade, which struck the floor between Neji's legs with enough force to once again crack the stone grievously.

The dust cloud finally cleared to show the orange-clad form of Uzumaki Naruto, who was gripping the hilt of Kubikiri Bochō with his right hand so hard that his knuckles were white. The majority of his face was shaded by his hood, but from under the shadow glowed two malevolently red eyes. "Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "I meant to aim a bit further, but my arms are too short. Mind scooting up a bit so I can chop you in half more easily?"

Nobody in the audience laughed. They were all too busy wondering how this guy had jumped all the way from the balcony to the other side of the room.

Neji's face was pale and sweating, but he quickly regained his composure, along with his smirk. "Interfering, are we? What happened to believing in her?"

Calmly, Naruto let go of the handle, walked around it, bent down and unceremoniously lifted the brown-haired older boy by the front of his shirt, dragging him closer. "Oh, I definitely believed in her. But it doesn't take a Dōjutsu to see that you were aiming to kill her. _I absolutely will not allow that."_

The force of his words, as well as the stony, resolute expression on his face, drew another flinch from Neji.

Just then, another hand gripped Naruto's wrist and pried him off of Neji. It was Alex. He too did not look happy at what had transpired, but he only said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Due to interference on her behalf, Hyuuga Hinata is considered Incapacitated. Winner by Default: Hyuuga Neji!"

Hinata, who was still somehow managing to stand, felt her legs finally give out at the announcement. With a sigh, she slumped to the floor, coughing so hard that it felt like her lungs were permanently crumpled. Her chest was filled with such pain that her vision became tinged with red. Sightless, her body went limp. However, before her head could hit the unforgiving stone, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, keeping her upright. _Naruto…kun?_ She tried to voice the question, but blood bubbled up in her throat, causing her to retch violently.

"Shit, she's got major internal damage, maybe even to the heart!" hissed a worried voice. It might have been Alex, but she was feeling too dizzy to know for sure. "Medics! We got an emergency over here! Get her to the Intensive Care unit quickly!"

"Hinata!" cried Naruto's voice. His she could recognize instantly. The Hyuuga girl tried to lift her head, tried to look around for him, but all she could see was a large, bright orange blob. Shakily, she moved her arm, trying to get his attention, even as numerous other arms lifted and moved her.

Naruto, who was trembling at the sight of the girl's body lying lifelessly on the floor, jerked in surprise as he felt a tiny tug on his jacket. Looking down, he saw Hinata's hand gripping the orange material lightly. He leaned towards her. "W-what is it, Hinata?" In his panic, he couldn't even use an honorific.

Another tug, which prompted him to lean closer to her face. He could feel her breathing on his ear, warm and damp with blood. Then, faintly, he heard a shallow, shaky whisper.

"Did I…change…after all?"

He heard Kina give a mournful sound inside his head, and felt tears well up in his own eyes. Keeping his voice even, he said, "Yeah. Barely recognized you."

As her eyes drifted shut she gave a smile that, even flecked with her own blood, was still radiant with joy.

The medics gently moved her onto the stretcher and hightailed it out of there. Naruto watched them go, numb with a combination of fear and helplessness. _I can come up with a crap-ton of ways to break things, but I can't heal them. There's no way Biomass could heal something like that,_ he thought. His vision swam and blurred; he remained crouched on the ground, letting tears trickle down his face.

A hand patted him on the shoulder, and he looked up to see Alex with a look of understanding on his face. "C'mon, kid," he said quietly, "We gotta do the next fight, now."

"…Yeah." Naruto pulled his hood lower over his face, hiding the wetness left by his tears, and stood up jerkily. He walked over to where he'd left Mido/Kubikiri Bochō and, with a massive grinding sound, hauled it out of the ground with one hand and slung it over his shoulder. Then he turned and silently strode back to the stairs, just as the board started running through the names. Since there were only four now, it only took a few seconds.

Uzumaki Naruto  
Vs.  
Karui

"Naruto!" Naruto looked up at the hiss to see Sakura standing at the top of the stairs, shooing him away, "You're next!"

"Mm." The blond only acknowledged the information with a disturbingly Sasuke-like grunt, turned around (somehow not gouging the walls with his sword) and walked back down.

Sakura stared at Naruto's back, worried. "Do you think Naruto will be alright, sensei?" she asked Kakashi.

The silver-haired man actually snapped his book closed and turned a lazy-looking eye towards the arena. "Well, I don't doubt that he's got the power for it. After what just happened, though, I don't know how his mental state is…"

The pink-haired girl spared a glare at Neji, who had long since returned to his team. Both Lee and Gai were giving him the cold shoulder, with the latter angrily telling Neji about some promise he'd apparently made. Neji, however, didn't seem to care all that much and had returned to his smug stoicism.

Across the room, on the other balcony, Karui readied to go down to her own fight.

"Careful with him, Karui," cautioned Samui, "Judging from how easily he can lift that thing, he's definitely strong. Underestimating him will definitely be uncool."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You and your 'cool' phase…gotcha, _sensei._ Don't worry, I'll try to watch my steps around your more attractive twin. Sage knows he's better looking than Atsui."

"Leaving my uncool brother aside," sighed the busty blond, "I'll admit that your Jutsu will probably be effective. Considering that most of the Konoha-nin don't seem that prepared for surprises, you'll be able to get an advantage over him."

"What if you don't, though?" mused Omoi, "Then he'd kick your ass all over the place and make us look bad. Well, maybe not _us_ since we already won, but you'd look like a dumbass. Plus he obviously had the hots for that Hyuuga girl who just got beaten, so he's obviously sore and might be looking for someone to take it out on-"

*Bonk!*

Karui punched him over the head. "First off, I got it. Second, who're you calling a dumbass, you cocky bitch? Third, he's not gonna be the only sore one if you don't shut up."

So saying, she stalked off to the stairs, idly fingering the hilt of her own Kumo-regulation Tantō. "Alright, big boy," she muttered to herself, "Let's see if you and your big sword can take the heat."

Both opponents squared off at the center of the arena, on either side of Alex. Once more the older man raised his hand high, looking at either contestant. "…Uzumaki Naruto and Karui: FIGHT!"

Quickly Karui jumped back to put distance between herself and the massive sword that Naruto was wielding. However, the blond didn't move from his spot, face shaded by his hood.

"Oi!" shouted the black girl, "Blondie! What's your problem? The battle's started already! You can fantasize about your girlfriend after you go join her, alright?"

_That_ definitely got a reaction from Naruto. The hand gripping Kubikiri Bochō turned a pale gray, muscles bulging under the sleeve. Then he sighed, seemingly aggrieved. "Yeah, yeah, calm your tits, copper-top. I'll go when I'm good n' ready."

"Copper-top?" Karui's eye twitched.

Up in the stands, Omoi muttered, "Uh oh."

Glaring angrily, Karui went through five hand-seals and drew out her sword. **"Katon: Jou Nenchi!" (Fire Release: Imperial Burning Pitch)** She took a deep breath, then spat a gout of oily liquid onto the blade, which almost immediately burst into flames.

"Hm. Cool trick," said Naruto, eyeing the burning sword unconcernedly, "Kinda gross to just spit it out, but cool nonetheless."

The dark-skinned girl's eye twitched. To have one blond obsessed with the word 'cool' was annoying, but for there to be another one... "You…you're messing with me, aren't you?"

"No idea what you're-" but then the blond suddenly bolted forward, raising the sword off his shoulder. _"Talking about!"_ he bellowed, bringing the weapon down with a deceptively fast, one-handing chop.

Karui quickly blocked with her Tantō, only to instantly regret it. The blade, which was a shiny black but laced with marble-like veins of green, struck her burning one with a worrying crash. The raw strength behind the blow, regardless of the weight of the actual Zanbatō, was so much that just that one attack caused her knees to buckle. _Holy shit, the force behind this is no joke!_ Worse, she couldn't use her off-hand to support the blade, as she had set it on fire. "Shit!" She angled the blade to the left, letting the attack slide down and off with a screech. Hopefully, the momentum would cause him to overextend, giving her the opportunity to-

But that plan was quashed as Naruto simply pulled the sword back as it slid off, then thrust, again with one hand.

Again Karui blocked the attack, but this time the force actually caused her to stumble back. _The hell are they feeding this guy?_ she thought. The next attack she dodged by leaping further back. Quickly, she stabbed the tip of her Tantō into the ground and repeated her previous jutsu. **"Katon: Jou Nenchi!"** This time she spewed forth a greater amount of the oil, covering the ground in front of her with it. Sadly, she'd not gotten Naruto, who had stepped just out of range when she'd started spraying, which was fortunate, as she then retrieved her sword and sliced at the oil, instantly igniting the whole area and cutting off the blond's view of her.

"Ha!" called Karui, "Now what're you gonna do? Actually, hold that thought, I've got another!" She quickly performed seven more hand-seals. **"Katon: Jou Neppa!" (Fire Release: Imperial Heat Wave)** Instantly the temperature of the room shot up, along with moisture, prompting a large amount of swearing from the audience.

"I swear, does _every_ Kumo-nin have to make it as uncomfortable as possible in this place?" growled Sakura, wiping at her suddenly sweating brow, "This is gonna wreck my hair."

For Naruto, the sudden humidity was even more stifling. Combined with the heat of the flame, it was suddenly all he could do to remain upright. Quickly, his coat dissolved to try and help him cool off, but it only barely help. He stabbed the tip of Kubikiri Bochō into the ground and leaned on it, trying to breathe more easily. "Damn it," he hissed, sweat dripping down his face, "This is some serious heat!" He glared at the field of flames. _I need to either clear those somehow or get through them._ A tiny clicking sound reached his ear, causing him to look down. Without him realizing it, Mido had changed back into a snake, and was now holding a large (for him) black sphere in his fanged mouth. "…Well, if you're offering, I guess I can't refuse." He plucked the biomass pill out of the serpent's mouth and, taking a moment to wipe any saliva off, placed it in between his sharp teeth. "'ere I come, bitch," he said thickly. He slid his foot forward, leaning over it and letting his arms dangle on either side of him. His suddenly green eyes gazed unblinkingly at the fire, which continued to burn without any sign of stopping soon. Then, without a warning, he charged.

He pushed mightily with his leg, flinging him forward with shocking speed. As he neared the fire, it seemed to roar up in greeting. Finally, as his form vanished into the inferno…

*crunch*

A faint shock vibrated through his skull as his teeth bit clean through the pill, breaking it into chunks. With that shock, his body erupted in black vapor, which encased him from head to toe.

Karui flinched at the sudden outcry that went up in the stands. "What is it?" she asked, unable to see through her own flames. A sudden sense of foreboding filled her as an indistinct, wavering dark form appeared in the fire, growing close. She raised her sword just as, with a roar, an armored monster barreled out of the conflagration. With a yelp, she leaped to the side to avoid being run over. A painful sting made her look down in surprise; three long scratches now marred her side.

Naruto shook his head to clear it, grunting in annoyance. While he'd felt his claws snag something, it seemed that he'd just missed his opponent and run headlong into a wall. Fortunately, the impact had barely rattled him, so he turned back around and spotted Karui, who was holding her side gingerly. He growled in satisfaction, flexing the bladelike fingers of his left hand and causing the tips to ring as they scraped each other.

To her credit, while the sight of the stony-armored figure before her made her flinch, the dark-skinned redhead recovered quickly, performing a new set of hand-seals. **"Katon: Jou Onibi!" (Fire Release: Imperial Will-O'-Wisp)** She exhaled quickly and caused eight small fireballs to coalesce in front of her. "Ha!" With a gesture, she sent them flying towards Naruto, carving bright streaks in the air as they zipped and swerved erratically.

Narrowing his eyes against the bright light, Naruto lowered his head and charged again. The Will-O'-Wisps splashed uselessly against his armor, though he had to cover his eyes before one could hit him in the face. Chakra flowed evenly through the grooves covering the stony carapace, aiding the mobility of his limbs as he ran.

"Ka-**Katon: Jou Hitama!" (Fire Release: Imperial Flame Sphere)** the field of flames, which had started to burn low, suddenly roared up again and surged around Karui, obscuring her within a sphere of fire.

Naruto only gritted his shark-like teeth and kept going, drawing back his right fist as he did so. The armor cracked, shattered and reformed as the muscle mass beneath expanded, causing the limb to grow even larger. Ignoring the heat, he plunged his fist straight through the flames.

However, even as he attacked, Karui ducked under the reaching arm and rolled out of the sphere, out of his line of sight. She bounced up onto her feet and leaped into the air, her Tantō poised to stab into the less-armored joint in Naruto's neck. "Gotcha, bitch!" she cried. That was her biggest mistake.

The blue light that glowed along the grooves of the armor suddenly flowed into the gap in the neck and flashed brightly. The sword jerked in her hand and her grip loosened in surprise.

In that moment of distraction, Naruto whirled around and his hand came up to fasten around Karui's own neck. Using his enhanced strength, he easily lifted her off the floor.

However, even then the redhead wasn't ready to give up and she swung her still-flaming sword at her opponent. Unfortunately for Karui, the Blacklight was ready for that. Faster than his appearance implied he twisted his head to the side, not looking away from his captive as he snapped his jaw, shattering the Tantō with barely any effort. The steel blade broke easily between his triangular teeth, the flames dying down immediately as the form they covered was lost. Turning to face Karui more fully, he pulled her in more closely. His stone-covered visage filled the entirety of her vision as a deep rumble emanated from his chest, his green eyes almost glowing as he glared at her. Then, to everyone's even bigger shock, he spoke, a guttural growl of a voice exiting through the wide, lipless mouth awkwardly. **"Nah, bitch. Got you."**

Karui barely had any time to gasp in surprise before he lifted her higher. The next instant, all the breath left her lungs as he whipped her down against the floor with a jarring thud.

Naruto reared back, channeled some chakra into his throat, opened his toothy maw wide and unleashed a howl of fury at his downed opponent. The force of the roar was such that it actually kicked up dust and slammed Karui even further down than she already was, knocking her out even as the sound rang through the entire arena. The other Shinobi, even the Jōnin, actually took a step back at the raw exuberance behind the exclamation.

There was a small clack as Alex, who was suddenly beside him, put a hand under Naruto's jaw and pushed it firmly shut. "That's enough outta you," he muttered, partly annoyed, partly amused. Then he announced to the room at large, "Winner by Knockout: Uzumaki Naruto!"

The armored being relaxed and gave a grunt, but oddly enough did not change back into his normal form. When the medics came to take Karui away, Naruto walked with them, much to the confusion of the observers. Mido, who had been lying curled up as a snake on the floor where Naruto had left him, jumped up as a cat and ran across the room to follow him.

Meanwhile, Alex said to the audience, "As you two are the only ones left, we won't need to use the randomizer. Rock Lee and Olivia Vetra, please come down to the arena floor!"

The head medic, a middle-aged man with graying hair, raised an eyebrow at Naruto's appearance but only asked, "And what's wrong with you?"

The former blond's eyes flicked to the side, an awkward look to them, before a small groan leaked out between his teeth. Grudgingly, he opened his mouth wide, giving the medic a look inside.

"Ah, I see," muttered the man, leaning in to take a closer look, "Well, you didn't _have_ to show off like that, did you?"

Naruto growled irritably.

"Alright, alright, hang on a second. I'll get some tweezers and we can just pull them out. Can you heal them alright or will you need any other treatment?"

The Blacklight gave a short, negative grunt.

The medic searched around in a nearby bag and pulled out a pair of small tweezers. "Keep still. These things aren't too strong, and I'd rather keep both my hands."

Shuddering, Naruto whimpered slightly, but knelt on the floor so that the medic would be better able to remove the splinters of metal. In the future, he noted with repeated winces, he'd have to make the inside of his mouth as tough as the outside, in case he ever needed to break a flaming sword with his teeth again.

AN: I actually _did_ want to write the Olivia/Lee fight, but two things stopped me. Firstly, I had no idea how to write the fight without it being completely one-sided. Secondly, when I look at the length of this chapter, I can honestly say that I've written enough. If you guys honestly want to see that fight badly enough, I suppose I could write a one-shot about it some time.

Summary time~!

1. I'm actually going to stop bashing Kiba so much. He will eventually get better.  
2. Of course, that's not the whole reason why his fight was so short. It's just that Samui had an arsenal that could both counter his Taijutsu and could also use his enhanced senses against him.  
3. Once again, thanks to Tesla Wattage for Samui's jutsu set.  
4. Kakashi says something about Shinobi warfare that Naruto finds profound. Expect that saying to come back at some point.  
5. Yeah, so, Gaara vs. Dosu ended just about as well as you'd expect. But it wasn't just a flawless victory on Gaara's part; Dosu gave it the old college try.  
6. Then, of course, we come to my favorite part of the Prelims: Hinata vs. Neji.  
7. Neji spouts off his usual pre-match psychological attacks (which, sadly, do not seem to be against the rules) to try and demoralize Hina-chan. 'Cause God knows how much _that_ happens to her.  
8. Naruto breaks the tension by calling Neji on his Byakugan's Power Perversion Potential.  
9. I hope I did a good job showing off some of Hinata's new skill level. The **Jyuu no Mai: Shishi Tsume** technique is one that I literally came up with on the spot.  
10. …But we all know how that song n' dance is gonna end. Fortunately, Hinata shows a hell of a lot more defiance towards Neji's bullshit.  
11. Neji goes in for the kill, but Naruto goes apeshit and tries to Kubikiri him. Fortunately for all involved, he can actually control himself. Unfortunately, that means he's still bottling up his rage.  
12. Sweet moment between Naruto and Hinata before she gets carted off. What can I say? I love the ship.  
13. And then, of course, Naruto has his match _right after_ his girlfriend got brutalized in front of him. Today is a bad day to be Karui.  
14. Karui's jutsu come from Tesla Wattage as well.  
15. Naruto shows his proficiency at using the Musclemass power. Considering how huge Kubikiri Bochō is, it's understandable.  
16. You know, there were so many ways that this fight could have gone, but I'm pretty happy about how this turned out. What do you guys think?  
17. Remember, Naruto's Kubikiri has Mido's snake-head on the end of the hilt. He can eject his biomass pill from that mouth, at the cost of transforming back into his 'pet' animal form.  
18. In case I haven't mentioned it before, Naruto needs a biomass pill to use his Armor form. At least, for now.  
19. And the fight keeps going downhill for Karui. But what did you expect?  
20. Naruto wins, then goes off to get rid of the metal shards in his mouth. That's the problem with being able to shatter swords in your teeth. 9_9  
21. In the meantime, we get to see what the final fight would be in the background. Lee vs. Olivia. Taijutsu vs. Glass. How do _you_ think that'll end?

So, that's the chapter. No changes to the harem to report. For the list, see the previous chapter. In other news, some of you might not have noticed it, but I recently started a new fic. It's called CoG: Boundary of Dragon, and it's a crossover of Highschool DxD and Kyoukai no Kanata. If you have not watched KnK, you totally should. And you should read my fic, because it's only got 4 reviews, which is really sad. Be warned, though, chapter 1 spoils the ending of KnK. On the bright side, it's the first ever crossover of its kind, which is awesome.

Also! I am once again planning on starting _another_ fic! Pipe down, gameipedia, I need to do this. It will be a crossover of Naruto and a Manhwa that has quickly imbedded itself in my top 10 series: The Gamer. If you have not read it, what are you waiting for? Check it out. The fic (when it's released) will be called CoG: Create New Character.

So, once again, I ask that if you have any questions, please leave a Review or a PM. If it's a Review, please make sure I can reply to it *looks pointedly at SeanHicks.*

My next update will be either for Boundary of Dragon, ANKoM, or Create New Character.

I believe that is all.

North South out.


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